TITLE: Resistance to Kinetic Impact
AUTHOR: Eric W. Parker
SCHOOL: Haverhill High School
SCHOOL ADDRESS: 137 Monument Street, Haverhill, MA 01832

Abstract: Paper with a 25% cotton content was better able to resist the damaging effect of a 5.5 pound kinetic impact than other tested materials as indicated by a tensile strength test when normalized by density. Instead of damaging the 25% cotton paper, as was the case with the other tested papers and woods, the results indicate that the impact made it stronger by making it more compact. The experiment showed that the tested papers, 25% cotton paper, computer paper, glossy magazine paper, notebook paper, and oak tag, were able to resist kinetic impact better than the tested samples of pine and oak woods. The papers have low initial tensile strength. The woods had much greater initial strength. However, the woods also received more damage to each sample from the 5.5 pound sand compactor. Thus, the woods' ability to resist the force of the tensile strength tester was greatly affected. From this we can conclude after adjusting for material density that the papers resist changes in tensile strength better than the woods.