A stick bomb is a (

mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

) spring-loaded device constructed out of flat sticks woven together under a

bending moment In solid mechanics, a bending moment is the reaction induced in a structural element when an external force or moment is applied to the element, causing the element to bend. The most common or simplest structural element subjected to bending mome ...

. Other names for stick bombs include

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

stick puzzle Stick puzzles are a type of combination puzzle that uses multiple sticks or 'polysticks' (which can be one-dimensional objects) to assemble two- or three-dimensional configurations. Polysticks are configurations of joined or unjoined thin (ideall ...

s, Cobra wave, and frame bombs. Stick bombs are created for fun and as art, not for any practical use.

History

Simple stick bombs made out of four, five, or six sticks have been known to schoolchildren for ages. They were often known as "Chinese stick puzzles", which indicates a possible origin for the devices. Tarnai (1989) describes several designs, including those with indefinite size which he credits to Ruina. Ruina claims to have invented the "infinite popsicle-stick bomb" in 1971. In the early 1980s, Tim Fort, known professionally as the Kinetic King, independently invented the multi-celled stick bomb. He also invented all of the stick-bomb weaves currently used including the ortho weave, the diamond weave, and the slant weave; using tongue depressors instead of Popsicle sticks is also credited as one of his innovations. In early 2011, he debuted the cobra weave, the most popular weave, during the Minneapolis audition episode of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

''. Fort developed methods for making three-dimensional stick bombs as well.

Guinness Book of World Records

The current world record for the world's largest stick bomb is 68,480 sticks and was achieved by a group from Natick, Massachusetts known as the Natick High School Bomb Squad The record was previously held by a group from Austria in 2015 as well as a group from Lakeview, Oregon in 2014.

Technical aspects

Stick bombs can be constructed out of most flat sticks of the appropriate dimensions. The usual material for construction is

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

, but

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

can also be used.

Ice pop An ice pop is a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is "quiescently" frozen—frozen while at rest—and becomes a solid block of ice. ...

sticks (craft sticks) and

tongue depressors A tongue depressor (sometimes called spatula) is a tool used in medical practice to depress the tongue to allow for examination of the mouth and throat. The most common modern tongue depressors are flat, thin, wooden blades, smoothed and rounded ...

are popular because of availability, low cost, and because they are easily coloured. Tongue depressor sticks are strongly recommended for construction as they have lower tension than craft sticks and thus are easier to work with. The sticks are woven together to form a reticulated grid with each stick held in place by a bending moment created by the elasticity of wood or other material. If constructed properly, the removal of a single stick causes the other sticks to fly apart with surprising force. The speed of the

shock wave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...

depends on the materials used. The variety of configurations in which stick bombs can be constructed is virtually limitless, and there are several tricks (stunts) that can be incorporated into the design. For reasons of structural stability, each stick is touching at least three other sticks in a frame bomb.

References

External links

FrameBomb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stick Bomb Children's games Mechanisms (engineering)