1M10.25 • New Pile Driver

Location: Cabinet 6

Photos show the demonstration used at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Concepts Conveyed:

• Conservation of energy. Mass is dropped from a height above the nail, as it falls, gravitational potential energy converts to kinetic energy. Energy from the mass is transferred to the nail and drives the nail into the clay.

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Instructions / Faculty Instructions:

• 1. Fix the nail support to the post, below the lower tube bracket. Insert the nail into the hole, making sure that the nail point is resting on top of the surface of the clay.
• 2. Tie the string to any mass, and lower the mass into the tube.
• 3. Let the mass fall onto the nail, keeping the string upright and out of the tube. This will prevent friction from the tube.
• 4. The clay can be reshaped for other trials.

Last updated on June 11, 2025