Supersonic Ping-Pong gun fires balls at Mach 1.2

Few things capture the attention of physics students like a gun that fires Ping-Pong balls, according to a mechanical engineer who just built one that accelerates the balls to supersonic speeds.

“You can shoot Ping-Pong balls through pop cans and it is great, it is so captivating, it is so compelling that you can get kids’ attention and once you’ve got their attention, you can teach them something,”Mark French, the Purdue University assistant professor who built the gun, told NBC News.