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The science of catapults
The science of catapults
The science of catapults
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The Physics of the Mangonel Catapult
Catapults have been used for centuries by many groups of people, including the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. Catapults have had an assortment of purposes, but the most commonly purpose was to launch a projectile to destroy castles and soldiers. There were three main types of catapults; Ballista, Mangonel, and the Trebuchet. The mangonel was the most popular one. Different levels of torsion in the rope of the mangonel catapult decided how far a projectile was going to travel. Also the different objects that were used as projectiles and there masses also had a big role in the distance they would reach. If physics weren’t applied to building a catapult the catapult itself wouldn’t function correctly, therefore physics is what brings these machines to life. Though catapults are no longer used today in combat or any other use they still have a great history behind them.
The mangonel catapult was the most well known one. The way this catapult functioned was by pulling back on a wooden stick that was connected to a wooden arm with a bucket, would pull that arm back. Pulling back on the wooden stick would cause the potential energy of the catapult to be stored in the torsion of the ropes of the wooden arm. When the wooden stick was let go the arm wood immediately return to its original position of 90 degrees where a wooden block would stop its impact and would then launch the projectile. When the arm reaches back to its original position it forms an arc with a radius equal to the arm length. Therefore the potential energy is transferred into rotational kinetic energy. Decreasing the torsion in the ropes of the wooden arm would make the projectile travel at a slower velocity. To calculate the t...
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...ed. Another disadvantage is that the mangonel was not that accurate. The range was determined by the mass of the object and the strength of the catapult itself.
Catapults were the weapon of the medieval times. The catapults had many purposes especially during war. Physics were applied to the building of a catapult without it the catapult wouldn’t function. The different levels of torsion would affect the catapults ability to launch a projectile higher into the sky, further, and give it a faster velocity. Also the different masses of objects used as the projectile were also accounted for those things. Though the mangonel catapult was a great catapult it also lacked some abilities, such as having poor accuracy and it wouldn’t work in wet conditions or cold weather like in the rain. Overall the mangonel is a great catapult and always has been over the past centuries.
The purpose of this project was to understand the forces, momentum, and energy a contraption would experience during an impact from a pendulum at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25mph. The project was required to hold and protect 2 raw large Grade A eggs from each pendulum impact respectively.
Question 5: “Texts construct characters who represent the best qualities in human nature, as well as those who represent the worst.” Discuss how at least ONE character is constructed in a text you have read or viewed. (Sem 2, 2016)
Earlier models just used a large weight on one end of a pivoting arm. The arm was pulled back the missile was placed and then let go.
First the energy of conservation. The setting of the trebuchet before firing is shown in Fig 1. A heavy counterweight of mass (M) (contained in a large bucket) on the end of the short arm of a sturdy beam was raised to some height while a smaller mass (m) (the projectile), was positioned on the end of the longer arm near or on the ground. In practice the projectile was usually placed in a leather sling attached to the end of the longer arm. However for simplicity, we shall ignore the sling and compensate for this omission by increasing the assumed length of the beam on the projectile’s side. The counterweight was then allowed to fall so that the longer arm swung upward, the sling following, and the projectile was ultimately thrown from its container at some point near the top of the arc. The far end of the sling was attached to the arm by a rope in such a way that the release occurred at a launching angle near the optimum value ( most likely by repeated trials) for the launch height. The launching position is shown in fig.2 where we have assumed that the projectile is released at the moment the entire beam is vertical. In the figures: (a)=height of the pivot, (b)= length of the short arm, (c)= length of the long arm, while (v) and (V) are the velocities of (m) and (M), respectively, at the moment of launching.
The definition of a projectile is an object that the only force acting on it is gravity. Projectile motion is the path the projectile takes. We saw and used this topic a few times in our project. The first time we saw it was when the marble was flew out of the pipe and was in the air. The second time we used the topic to make sure the trains fell on the lever in the correct spot so the golf ball would roll. The third time it was used, was when the board fall on the balloon. It fell as half of a parabola since it started standing up.
A popular weapon used by both sides was the rifle. Rifles were invented before the Civil War and were greatly used in the War of 1812. However, more types were built and a larger amount was used during the Civil War. Rifles added a spin to bullets for a greater accuracy at longer ranges. Using this weapon, soldiers could fire 400 yards away, as opposed to the average 80 yards (Robertson 50). Rifles were the fastest and hardest weapon of the time. Rifles allowed their bullets to be shot harder and faster towards its target. New inventions, used by the Union more than the Confederate, included Parrott rifles. They were composed of iron. Robert Parker Parrott, an American soldier and inventor, created these weapons, hence the name Parrott rifles. Despite its name, the Parrott rifle was actually a cannon. Its size ranged from 10 to 300 pounders. It was not favored by most because it was considered unsafe (“Civil War Artillery”). Because of its bulkiness and heaviness, it seldom led soldiers to inaccuratel...
What is a trebuchet? The question isn’t a common one, especially in today’s day-and-age due to the fact a trebuchet in the simplest of terms was a weapon used in medieval times. Many could compare it to a catapult , but the trebuchet can shoot a projectile a further distance and is far more accurate. Although the trebuchet is most commonly associated and used during the medieval times, the trebuchet’s original and most archetypical uses can be traced back to the fourth century B.C in China. China created the original trebuchet “to help with military strength and strategy” (Marsden, 2013, para. 2). Although China originated the trebuchet, it soon was adopted in other countries and made its way to Europe around five-hundred A.D. where it was mainly used by the French. This weapon was changing to become bigger, better ,and stronger constantly. For example, the archetype of the trebuchet had a group of pulling men that pulled a rope which fired the projectile. This later changed to a counterweight . Although the design of the trebuchet was changing on a constant basis, even the original itself was well-advanced for the time, pushing technology a step further. This new technology held great potential and was
The engineering of a trebuchet was vastly improved over time, but was only due to our past ancestors wanting to use a trebuchet over a catapult because it is able to launch over longer distances and be more accurate. Many changes have been made to the trebuchet since the 12th century when it was first introduced by Christian’s and Muslim’s. They both used this to throw objects up to 90 kg for about 300 meters. They would use these weapons to throw heavy objects into forts and bunkers. Many armies still used these up through the 15th century, the ironic part about this is that gun powder was made and used at the beginning of the 15th century. The First trebuchet was referred to the “Traction Trebuchet”. This type of trebuchet was based around man’s strength; it would have
The purpose of the projectile lab is to test the validity of the law of conservation of energy. The application of this law to our everyday lives is a surprisingly complicated process. Conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but that it can be transferred from one form to another. Consider the projectile lab from document A that this essay is based upon. In an ideal experiment, the projectile is isolated from everything except the gravitational field. In this case, the only force acting on the particle is gravity and there are only two forms of energy that are of interest: the energy of the particle due to its motion (defined as kinetic
The mangonel, somehow, had some design flaw in that is called for a wooden barrier to be a concept. It is place in catapult history is nonetheless well documented as this model was still used when the trebuchet arrived on the scene. Unlike it is earlier Greek brother. The mongonel is counted as a easier design in history of catapult.
The first trebuchets that were ever designed were probably built to break down castle walls or any type of barrier that stood in the way of the army. At the time, the trebuchet was preferred over the catapult was because of the extended range and its greater accuracy. The design was also extremely portable, since it could be built on wheels. During these early years of existence, the trebuchet was a very powerful weapon. Not many armies had one and it could launch a stone the farthest of any weapon of the time period.
“Volley Guns” (Chivers, 2010, p.26) or also known as “Organ Guns” (Ellis, 1975, p.10) were first attempts at increasing firepower by adding several barrels at the firing itself, rather than simply attempting to increase the rate of fire. “Gunsmiths had long ago learned to place barrels side by side on frames to create firearms capable of discharging projectiles in rapid succession. These unwieldy devices, or volley guns, were capable in theory of blasting a hole in a line of advancing soldiers” (Chivers, 2010, p.26). An example of such weapons can be seen on July 28, 1835 when Giuseppe Fieshi unleashed terror on King Louis-Phillipe in Paris, France. He fired his 25 barrel “volley gun”, killing 18 of the king's entourage and grazing the King's skull. The weapon was ineffective however. Four of the barrels failed and another four ruptured. Two other barrels had exploded inside, grievously wounding Giuseppe. (Chivers, 2010, p. 27)
During the Cold War, the United States Navy became one of America’s most important deterrence tools largely because of the aircraft carrier, a half-acre mobile platform of American sovereignty and military might. When stressing the importance of the aircraft carrier as a center of gravity of military coercion, few analysts appreciate the relatively small system that makes it a feasible launching platform for aircraft, the catapult system. This paper will explain the mechanics of the aircraft catapult system as well as its evolution from the weight and derrick system to the presently used steam system and new electromagnetic system that Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers will use.
How to Hunt Big Fish with an Air Rifle? Hunting big fish with air rifles, also known as pellet gun or BB gun, offer unique challenges to the sport. It sounds impossible to be able to hunt down a fish with an air rifle but with a bit of knowledge and practice, can yield positive results for any fishing expedition. Why Use an Air Rifle?
Projectile motion is the force that acts upon an object that is released or thrown into the air. Once the object is in the air, the object has two significant forces acting upon it at the time of release. These forces are also known as horizontal and vertical forces. These forces determine the flight path and are affected by gravity, air resistance, angle of release, speed of release, height of release and spin