Catapults: a History

History of Catapults Catapults are war weapons that were invented in the hopes of increasing the range and power of a crossbow. The first idea was the “Ballista,” which was a mechanical crossbow that actually performed like the Greeks and Romans wanted it to. Further into history, in the year of 1216, catapults that we perceive them now were being used. Named the mangonel, they were massive weapons of destruction. England used a different type like the “Mangonel” which was the primary catapult of

Have you ever wondered how a catapult works? We had to ask just that question when we were assigned a project. Where we had to create a functional catapult and graph the arc of the object shot from the catapult we created. In this essay I will discuss the history and mathematical concepts behind catapults. I will also include some fun facts. There are many mathematical concepts behind a catapult. One big mathematical concept behind a catapult is a parabola. A parabola is defined as “a symmetrical

And Physics Of The Catapult When we think of catapults we usually imagine them firing at castle walls during the medieval times, or standing in the background of a large army clashing with another in an action movie. However, catapults have a long and intricate history that twists and binds with our own, dating all the way back to 399 B.C. First documented by the Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus, in the form of an early design for the Ballista (type of catapult). Catapults were a staple for siege

Catapults: the revolutionary weapon that has been used to win battles for years. They have a long history, varieties of different types, and relevance to modern-day scientific principles. Even though they are mostly used as toys in today’s time, they have still kept their relevance and overall individuality in the scientific and war-time categories. Before continuing, it should necessarily be defined what a catapult even is. Scientifically, they are a machine that stores energy in order to release

examples of weapons that have been used by major empires but it is also known that civilizations had other forms of technology that were not so advanced. Catapults are one of the oldest from of warfare weapons that have been used for the capture of territories. The greatest have taken part in the magnificents of a catapult. Throughout history, catapults have advanced through different empires and can be explained through multiple theories that were created by some of the most fascinating Scientist/ Physicist

Throughout history, especially during the Middle Ages, numerous weapons and tools were invented in order to aid in the victory of battles. Such examples would include the catapult, a device in which collected tension is suddenly released to hurl an object some distance, in particular. Catapults are actually very much related to physics and the world of mathematics, due to its function, and the result of how it works. For Ms. Csigi’s math class, the class decided to complete an assignment where individual

Catapults were one of the earliest forms of large weapons, in which projectiles were shot. “The general definition is that a catapult is a machine that stores energy then quickly releases this energy to fire a projectile,” said Kalif (Kalif, 2007). Catapults are basically a spring compressed together ready to release and explode into action. Catapults have been used in battle for many, many years shooting objects from rocks to fire balls. There are three main types of catapults including: the ballista

each other, thrown spears, and launched giant rocks into enemy territory. The use of catapults, and other objects that hurl projectiles, also seem as old as human civilization itself. The effectiveness of the catapult in flinging objects over a great distance and causing destruction is due to a few basic physics principals that govern force, energy, motion, speed and mass to name a few. The design of the catapult denotes a change in modern warfare to the engineer behind weapons being just as important

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." A. C. Clarke (Clarke). Throughout history, people have relied on technology to aid them. Technology has played an important role throughout time as a tool that has allowed people to achieve accomplishments never before possible. Technology has been crucial to survival as it has been used in warfare. Technology was used for both offensive and defense systems during times of siege, and could determine the fate of entire empires

Another interesting effect of the catapult was the importance of specialized people. Before the catapult was invented, soldiers only had to be trained in fighting. After the invention however, mathematical and engineering skills became important to be able to build and operate a catapult. The catapult moved the social status of an engineer from “dirty, ugly, and lame,” to an important member of society who was in high demand (Foley and Soedel 8). The creation of the engineer also changed the structure