science

Whoopee cushion

Whoopee cushion is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Whoopee cushion rather than just read about it. In short: A whoopee cushion (also spelled whoopie cushion) is a practical joke device, which simulates the sound of flatulence when sat on. History and modern usage Records of a whoopee cushion date back to the 10th-century Aghlabid emir of Ifriqiya, Ziyadat Allah III.

Key takeaways

Whoopee cushion belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Whoopee cushion to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Whoopee cushion from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A whoopee cushion (also spelled whoopie cushion) is a practical joke device, which simulates the sound of flatulence when sat on.

History and modern usage Records of a whoopee cushion date back to the 10th-century Aghlabid emir of Ifriqiya, Ziyadat Allah III. He is said to have enjoyed hiding inflated animal bladders under the cushions of his palace for unsuspecting guests to sit on. The modern rubber whoopee cushion was invented in the 1930s by the JEM Rubber Co. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by employees who were experimenting with scrap sheets of rubber. The company's owner approached Samuel Sorenson Adams, inventor of numerous practical jokes and owner of S.S. Adams Co., with the newly invented item; however, Adams thought that it was "too vulgar" and would never sell. JEM then offered the idea to the Sawyer P. Lawrence Company, which sold it with great success. Adams later released its own version, calling it the Razzberry Cushion.

Design

The device is made from two sheets of rubber, adhered at their perimeter, with a small flap opening at one end for air to enter and exit. Whoopee cushions lack durability and can break easily, lasting longest when they are not inflated or sat on with excessive force.

Use

Whoopee cushions are inflated by blowing into the flapped opening. "Self-inflating" cushions have an interior sponge that keeps them in a normally expanded state, and do not require inflation. The cushion is then placed under a seat cushion or other material, for someone unsuspecting to sit on — forcing the air out, causing the flap to vibrate and creating a flatulent sound. If the act of sitting happens to block the air flow, the cushion can rupture -- thus requiring some attention in placement of the cushion. Alternatively, the cushion can be inflated and intentionally operated by hand to produce the noise.

See also List of inflatable manufactured goods List of practical joke topics

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Whoopee cushion

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Whoopee cushion claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Whoopee cushion before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Whoopee cushion ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Whoopee cushion

In research: Whoopee cushion appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Whoopee cushion in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Whoopee cushion is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Canadian inventions, Flatulence humor, Inflatable manufactured goods, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Whoopee cushion outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Whoopee cushion in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Whoopee cushion means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Whoopee cushion out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Whoopee cushion in simple terms?

A whoopee cushion (also spelled whoopie cushion) is a practical joke device, which simulates the sound of flatulence when sat on. History and modern usage Records of a whoopee cushion date back to the 10th-century Aghlabid emir of Ifriqiya, Ziyadat Allah III.

Why does Whoopee cushion matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Whoopee cushion?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Whoopee cushion.