Kids, Don't Try This At Home

Some 50 students thronged expectantly in front of Wilder Hall one October afternoon. Was it a bomb scare? No. They were watching physics professor John Kidder don a helmet and climb aboard a simple go-cart. With a whoosh, the gocart sped forward, revealing the source of its power: a fire extinguisher. When the cart finally came to rest in front of Richardson Hall, Kidder stood up, smoothed his tie, and returned to Wilder.

He had been demonstrating propulsion, reported bemused students from his introductory physics class.

Guess what? Propulsion works.

When you woosh upon a car...