Physics Of The Catapult

A Trebuchet is a weapon used during the medieval ages in siege warfare. The trebuchet was used for the defense of towns, strongholds, and cities. First the materials used to build medieval trebuchets. Second the origins of trebuchets. Third how trebuchets were transported.

The first records of counterweight trebuchets began appearing in the 12th century. Proving to be an excellent siege weapon, many militaries began using this. Though stone-throwing artillery had been employed by both the Greeks and Romans, they were usually powered by torsion or tension; the trebuchet was the first war machine to use gravity and leverage to fire projectiles. They were used widely during the Crusades, in which the European militaries, especially the French, used the trebuchet to lay siege to Muslim cities in the hopes of capturing the “holy land.”

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

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.

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.

In response to the use of castles and fortresses, siege weapons were created. Siege weapons ranged from short range weapons such as the battering ram to longer range ones like the trebuchet or the ballista. The battering ram was usually a big shed with an armored roof and wheels to protect the men inside operating a thick beam with an iron head hung from the roof that was swung into enemy walls to bring them down. The siege tower, a wheeled tower filled with men that would be used to get over the walls, also saw its use during this time. The trebuchet was used for longer range, the missiles launched by the trebuchet ranged from using dead bodies of animals or people to spread disease, a primitive example of biological warfare, to using large boulders to take down fortress walls. In response

The World of Gunpowder and How It Revolutionized Weaponry and More Invented by an unknown Chinese alchemist, gunpowder has changed the world of weaponry and the the world of weapons as well. Gunpowder has changed the world in many ways. Invented in the fifth century, a Chinese alchemist was trying to find a potion to immortality, but it failed (Ross). Eventually they found out the powder can explode by igniting a flame to it. With gunpowder, fireworks were invented and people thought it could ward off evil spirits with their bright lights and loud noises (“THOF”).

They came up with poles with hooks at the end that would hook on the rider's armor and pull them or make him fall off. They also made the halberg which was a axe, spear, and hook all in one. They would use the hook to pull riders off of there horse or stab them on the horse.("Medieval Weapons."). There was attacks that they would go for a castle. They would need special weapons, they were called siege weapons. They were the mongole, battering ram, siege tower, catapult, and trebuchet. The mongole was like the catapult in the sense it launched projectiles but they were different in their design. The mongole was a giant crossbow. The siege tower was used to cross walls of castles they would make it the same height or even taller than the wall they had to go over and it would protect anybody inside with ladders for the attack. The battering ram is simply a tree truck held up by rope or chain to a frame covered in wooden or sometimes steel in spots. It was used to protect the multiple soldiers inside that would work the trunk back and forth to hit doors or castle gates down so they could get in. The trunk would have a spike

Gunpowder arrived in Europe in the 13th century with the advent of cannons and gunpowder-driven weapons used against Europeans by the Mongols or Arabic Moors. The next few centuries saw new weaponry, new battle tactics, new technology and indeed, a new way of life as the foundations of the medieval world were destroyed by the strange alchemy of saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal. Centuries past had seen only slow, steady refinement of weaponry and warfare. Gunpowder, however, was one of those revolutionary inventions that fostered radical change.

Have you ever wondered how gunpowder was invented? Or how gunpowder has been a huge turning point in warfare for everyone? Gunpowder has a very interesting history, many uses, and most importantly has changed warfare drastically.

Thats where armour and siege weapons came into play. There were many different types of siege engines, most were very big so they had to be built at the battle site before everything started or as it was happening. Three main types of siege weapons were used: torsion, counter-weight, and gunpowder. There was everything from trebuchets and catapults to crossbows and bombards. Trebuchets were the most popular siege engine in the medieval era, they used a long arm attached to a fulcrum and a heavy “counter-weight” that threw up the arm to throw a projectile. There were many more weapons like the trebuchet that were used in other siege situations like torsion weapons. Torsion weapons used a twisted rope to spin either a slinged or cuped arm to fling projectiles. Most of the time torsion weapons were much smaller. They were widely used in the Roman Empire because of their mobility. There were also things like the “Siege Tortoise” that protected miners as they burrowed under walls to get into a fortification. This protected them against anyone above on the walls or stray artillery. Over all, the medieval time was the time of massive simple machines used for

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.

2017). From there, the Moors and the Ottoman Turks created their own forms of firearms. The Moors fought the Europeans in Spain for control of the area, and not even a year after that war the first firearms were finished in Italy. Soon after that the first cannons began to appear, the earliest to appear was from the Turks, they created the bombard. Which were these huge cannon, bigger than one could imagine. The bombards would blow down castle wall this was one of the key weapons that caused the city to fall. With it, fell the recipe of another type of gunpowder, which was mostly used as an early form of flame thrower (Sammon, J. 2012).

During the movie, there were many historical inaccuracies within the weaponry usage. Catapults were introduced to Europe during the Middle Ages. A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices. The longbow is measuring the height of a man, it came about towards the end of the Middle Ages. The best longbows were made of yew. The trebuchet is another form of a catapult it is the most powerful type of catapults. It was known to be created in China in 300 B.C.