Ben Mascuch
Project Extra
Catapult Study
During the Middle Ages, several advances in the architecture of castle walls were made and a new way to destroy them was also created. Thus, the catapult! The word, “catapult,” comes from the Greek word "katapultos." It was begun as a type of siege engine. In 400 B.C., the first catapult was invented in the Greek town of Syracuse. Catapults were introduced to the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages. Catapults were first used to increase the strength and range of a crossbow. The first record of someone using a catapult is a written document of the use of a mechanical arrow firing catapult from 399 B.C.
The Most Important Piece of Catapults:
Tension
The entire catapulting process depends …show more content…
2.Place missiles in bucket, sling, or nook.
3.Release potential energy. Work is done on the arm.
4.Arm collides with base and is brought to an abrupt stop.
5.Missiles retain the kinetic energy from the work done on the arm. This kinetic energy launches the missiles at the target.
Objects fall toward Earth because of the force of gravity. Acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2.
If a bowling ball drops from a roof, after the 1st second, it travels 9.8 m/s. A second later, its velocity is 19.6 m/s. After falling for 10 seconds, its velocity is 98 m/s or about 219 miles per hour!
• A force is a push or a pull.
• A force can act through contact -– Spring, rope, chain, friction, etc.
• A force can act at a distance. -– Gravity, magnetism, electrical
Galileo observed that the final velocity of an object starting from rest and accelerating at a constant rate equals the product of the acceleration and the elapsed time. If it has an initial velocity, the final velocity will equal the sum of the initial velocity and the increase in velocity caused by the …show more content…
The stones it hurled were sent to demolish city and/or castle walls. Believed to have been created by the Chinese in 300 B.C., the Trebuchet was the most powerful of the catapults. The Trebuchet arrived in Europe around 500 A.D. The Trebuchet consisted of a long arm (that could be up to 60 ft) balanced on a fulcrum that was far from the center. The short arm was attached to a counterbalance (a heavy lead weight or a pivoting ballist-box filled with earth, sand, or stones). A sling was attached to the end of the long arm. A rope was attached to the long arm and pulled down until the counterbalance was high in the air. The energy was stored in the potential energy of the counterbalance. The sling was then loaded with projectiles. The rope was released and the counterbalance plummeted downwards. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and, when the long arm is brought to an abrupt stop, the projectile continues with the velocity produced by the kinetic energy. The Trebuchet was the most feared and hated siege weapon. The men who manned the Trebuchet were called "gynours" and were always under constant assault by arrows and missiles. The Trebuchet was the primary target of many reconnaissance missions sent to burn it to the ground. The most powerful and most famous Trebuchet was the “WarWolf,” designed and constructed by Master James of St. George, the chief engineer for Edward I of