Finally something fun you can do with your old dusty vacuum cleaner.
Our easy guide will allow you to build a vacuum powered bazooka capable of giving you the upper hand in any office conflict.
What You Will Need :
- Vacuum cleaner – as powerful as you can lay your hands on
- Any sort of tube - We tried both cardboard and plastic with good results
- Duct tape - for connecting the pieces together
- Bubble wrap and play-dough - to be used as ammo.
Stage 1: Create the structure
Create the T Shaped tube using your cardboard and stick together using masking tape. If wish for a powerful weapon, try to keep it as air tight as possible.
Stage 2: Add your vacuum attachment
Using the short end of the T-tube, attach the shortest end of your created T-tune to the end of your vacuum cleaners extendable hose.
Again to improve power you need to make sure that no air escapes!
Stage 3: Create the projectile
Create the bazooka projectile by rolling a Play Doh sausage and wrapping it in bubble wrap.
If you wanted to be a little more evil, you could choose to include ball bearings but we are not recommending it 
The projectile should be big enough to fit loosely in your main tube.
Stage 4: Ready, aim and fire
- Turn the vacuum cleaner on at full power
- Use a piece of paper over the front of the tube (for more power continue this for a few seconds before the next step.)
- Add the projectile into the back
- Aim the tube at the required target and watch as you destroy them!
Tips to increase your bazookas range
- Get an industrial strength vacuum cleaner with a 400 horse power motor.
- Use a longer projectile tube
The science behind the vacuum cleaner bazooka
Michael Vincent managed to show how the bazooka vacuum works using equations:
I measured the vacuum suction as being equivalent to an altitude of 2200 feet, which converts to 670.6 meters. The percentage of normal atmospheric pressure is measured by the equation P = P0 * (1 - (h/44329 m))^5.255876. As a result, I determined that the vacuum pressure was .923 that of “sea level”. The difference in pressure is 7802.025 N/m^2 of pressure.
Because the pressure was exerted along the circular bottom of the projectile, the area being acted upon is area = pi * radius^2. The final equation for the force is F = 7802.025 N/m^2 * .00229 m^2. The force of air pressure accelerating the projectile is 17.867 N.
By Newton’s Second Law of Motion, Force = mass * acceleration. Thus, a = F / m. The mass of the projectile I measured to be one-half ounce, which is .0142 kg.
A = 17.867 N / .0142 kg, so the acceleration of the projectile is 1258.24 m/s^2. Normal gravitational acceleration on Earth is 9.8 m/s^2, thus the acceleration in this case is 128.4 times that of gravity, known as 128 g.
For people with less knowledge of equations – the vacuum bazooka works in the same as when you suck up milkshake through a straw. We reduce the amount of pressure in our mouths which means air pressure on the drink is higher and thus this force pushes the drink into our mouth.
We reduce the air pressure in the tube using the vacuum. There is now a greater air pressure outside the tube.
The greater outside air pressure exerts a force on the projectile that causes it to blow out the end.
