Physics majors in PH1160, Honors Physics I - Mechanics, get to launch spuds in the field. The students were studying projectile motion, comparing measured and calculated (with and without air drag) muzzle velocity and range. As you can tell, they had fun!

The Launch: The potato goes in the muzzle, hair spray is sprayed into the propellant chamber, the propellant chamber is capped, and the propellant is ignited. The rapid expansion resulting from combustion propels the potato out of the muzzle --- boom!