Catapult Physics

To fire it, the spoke or arm was forced down, against the tension of twisted ropes or other springs, by a windlass, and then suddenly released. As the sling swung outwards, one end would release, as with a staff-sling, and the projectile would be hurled forward. The arm would then be caught by a padded beam or bed, when it could be winched back again. The Onager is usually the first type of catapult

The way a Trebuchet works is that a counter weight drops which pulls the arm forward and at the point of takeoff a pin releases the object that is being projected. The counterweight drops using gravity and is attached to the arm causing it to fly up and launch the object. Engineers have had previous experience in this field because of the world wide trebuchet launching competitions. One example of engineers making this trebuchet are the engineers from team NASAW in the Pumpkin Chunkin ' competition. Team NASAW has a trebuchet with a heavy weight and a long arm. There arm and weight start next to each other at the beginning. The weight drops forward and like a whip the arm swings around and fires the pumpkin into the air at insane speeds. They are one of the top competitors in the competition and have proven countless times that the design works wonderfully.

Objective: Using a marble launcher, launch marbles from different angles with different forces to find the maximum height and the velocity as it leaves the launcher. Using different variables and results to determine how the different angles and amounts of force effect the variables. With this data show the effect the forces cause in 1-D and 2-D motion, as well as in the X and Y directions. This is done through kinematic equations and calculations.

Trebuchets are most commonly known as medieval weapons used in the Middle Ages. Us three were to build a smaller scale of the trebuchet and had to make sure it hit the target two out of the five times. We had to build a hinged-counter weight type of trebuchet with wheels that could throw a ping pong or golf ball. Through the paper I will explain the history throughout trebuchets and why to have wheels and to have a hinged counter weight on the trebuchet. Also the calculations on the potential energy and velocity are through this report. Our trebuchet met all of the requirements that were to be made and it hit the target three out of the five times. This report will

There are 3 Laws of Motion developed by Isaac Newton in 1687, in his book “Mathematics Principles of National Philosophy”(Hall,Nancy).Newtons first law of motion says that an object will stay at rest until a external force is applied. Also know as inertia(Hall, Nancy). Gravity affects it buy pulling the counter weight down which pulls the the opposite side which has the sling and projectile up launching the projectile(Saimre tanol). For gravity to be most effective the counter weight must be at least five times heavier than projectile(Saimre tanol). Centripetal force is a big factor in calculating trebuchet factors. the definition of centripetal force is a force that acts inwards on any object that rotates or moves along a curved path and is directed toward a center point(Centripetal force). In this case centripetal force is good. when the projectile is released centripetal force pulls it inwards which makes it go farther and be more accurate with out centripetal force the projectile would go straight up or straight down(Centripetal

Medieval weaponry is divided into two classes, cold weapons and firearms. A cold weapon is a weapon that does not involve fire or explosions. Swords were the most common cold weapon. They were used to pierce through armor, and deliver a deadly blow. Knives were used to finish a kill. They were carried in a holster on the hip of a warrior. Spears were used on horse-back and on foot. Warriors would throw spears at enemies if they were out of range of a sword. A catapult was as deadly as a firearm, but not considered one. Catapults would fling rocks at enemies over a distance. Like a catapult a crossbow could strike from a distance. Crossbows shot arrows that could pierce armor. Cannons were the first firearm introduced around the 14th century. They shot balls of molded

In light of our final exam, the chuck a duck project, we are to learn about projectiles, trajectory, and the factors that affect these things.

The boat sails forward into a weighted ball that has gravitational potential energy. The boat passes its momentum to the weighted ball at the top of a ramp. The ball falls down onto one end of a catapult. Once the weighted ball falls down onto one side of the catapult, the other side with a non weighted ball is driven up launches the ball up into a tube. The ball travels through the short tube, and passes its momentum to another ball at the top of a ramp. The ball has gravitational potential energy, and it falls down the ramp losing that energy turning it into kinetic energy. That ball hits a peg on a wheel. This wheel has four pegs on it, and one of them has a smaller peg perpendicular to the original peg. The wheel is turned driving the peg with the smaller peg up and into a block chain. The peg transfers its energy into the first block, and the first block transfers its energy into the next and so on. The final block hits a pin which is inside a slot. A balloon is positioned behind the pin, so once the block hits it, the pin is driven forward into the balloon. The pin pokes a hole in the side of the balloon releasing the air inside. The balloon is

The Trebuchet was a weapon built during the siege age( Medieval era). This weapon was similar to the catapult or stave sling. This weapon was used to throw heavy stone to smash castle or city walls. The name trebuchet is old french word tribucher or meaning throw over. The chinese invented the trebuchet in the 4th century they started to show up by the ancient chinese by the monist

The discovery of gunpowder changed war from being fought with medieval weaponry and battle tactics to more modern day weapons and tactics because the gunpowder powered weapons are more deadly. Weapons that use gunpowder to launch projectiles have a greater range than melee weapons and are more powerful than bow and arrows. Also, cannons are more powerful and have a greater range and accuracy than catapults and they also can be reloaded faster than catapults. Gunpowder weapons changed war because they are stronger, more accurate, have a greater range and are able to be reloaded faster than medieval weaponry.

Firstly, the weight of the golf ball being thrown affects how far and how high the ball will travel. Since gravity has a stronger pull of the heavier object and a weaker pull on lighter objects, the heavier ball requires a much greater initial velocity to travel further whereas a lighter ball requires a lower initial velocity. This is proven in the data because the lighter the ball, the greater the distance traveled.Secondly, the launch speed will affect the horizonal and vertical distance because the faster the ball travels the greater the distance traveled. Since speed is measured in meters per second and the distance traveled depends on the time, the ball will land further away if the velocity is greater. the data proves the theory that greater the initial velocity, the further the ball travels.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if rubber bands or bungee cord would put more force into the launch of the catapult. The experiment was designed to test the hypothesis if either a bungee cord or rubber bands would help an eraser to launch further, because of more force.

The physics concepts associated with them are projectile motion, energy, momentum, forces , speeds, and distances. The kinds of catapults all use the same theme of accumulated tension, but acquire that tension in their own way, their own design. The Mangonel catapult for instance, is what most of us think of as the traditional catapult. A large wooden device with four wheels and a spoon that launches fireballs. The Mangonel stores energy much like a spring would, therefore, we use the equation PEspring = 1/2kx^2. The tension in the ropes and arms of the catapult when pulling on its long arm stores potential energy which is transformed into kinetic energy when fired upon.

The Traction powered catapult used gravity or even people to throw an object with a sling on the end of the long arm. Trebuchets used a weighted side for the short arm and the long arm had a sling or sometimes a basket on the end. People would pull the arm down and tie it to something to hold the arm down. They would load the object into the basket or sling. As they cut the rope the weighted side would overcome the object side causing the arm to swing. If a sling was used once arm would get to a certain speed the knot in the sling would come loose causing the object to be thrown forward (Most of the time). If a basket was used a stopping brace would have had to be used as well. As the arm speeds up it would hit the brace but the loose object

Obviously a lot of time, effort, research, and money were put forth into the development of the golf ball, as it is manufactured today. The reason for this ongoing process is to help a golfer use some laws of physics to his advantage (i.e. placing spin on the ball to create lift) while finding a work around for other physical properties that can be detrimental to a players golf game (i.e. drag which causes the ball to slow down and fly closer to the ground). When examining the physics, which surrounds the game of golf, one must carefully consider all aspects of the game, not just the golf ball or even just the equipment being used. The stroke is by far the most important aspect to any participants round of golf. Among the scientific community, an event, such as the golf stroke, is thought of as a dynamic process using the physical principals of mechanics based on Newton's Laws of motion. The stroke is actually three separate events; the swing of the club, the impact of the club head with the ball, and the flight of the ball toward the target. It is the sum of these three parts that makes a successful stroke. Before delving into the details of the golf stroke, it is important for one to consider the general concepts of motion that control the swing of the golf club. Two men are most influential in this area of study, Galileo Galilee and Isaac Newton. It is the principles of these two men that