The Physics Of Tension In The Catapults

1839 Words4 Pages

Tension is defined as the pulling force exerted from an object to another object. Tension has been used for ages to keep things still or to hold something up. Tension stores energy when something gets more and more tense, which it then releases when the pulling force is quickly stopped such as having a rope that is tensed cut. Tension is very important to physics. Tension is a major part of a catapult, which provides its function.
Catapults are huge projectile-launching devices which have been used since medieval times. Catapults use tension when they used to use ropes to hold the basket with whatever object is loaded into it. When the rope was cut, the basket would fling upward and the object in the basket would be launched very far. The catapult was often used in warfare where they would load giant rocks into the basket and fling these rocks at the enemy.
Catapults have been very important and useful devices throughout history. The first catapult was invented around 400 BC by the Greeks. It has mainly been used for warfare and has been used both offensively and defensively. The catapult was a very important weapon up through the medieval ages, where more technologies came out and the catapult was used less in warfare. The catapult was always ahead of its time, especially because of the physics involved. The catapult is only usable because of tension, which makes it possible to fling things with it. The tension involved is essential to the operation and use of a catapult, and the more tension the catapult has the more powerful it will be and the more far it will travel.
Gravity is also an important piece to catapult. Gravity pulls objects and people toward the center of a mass, which is typically planets in this case. Gravity ...

... middle of paper ...

... major role in everything people do. Gravity makes all of the important things such as machines or activities people do actually occur. Gravity is also essential to any machine, because they generally need a solid ground to be on. If you were to use a catapult without gravity, you would fling the payload and it would keep flying. It would never hit the ground. Gravity is essential to the success of catapults and just about everything else.
Tension, catapults, and gravity are all very important concepts. They all work with one another as well. Tension is the way that when ropes get pulled and store energy. Catapults utilize both tension and gravity in order to launch projectiles. Gravity keeps things from leaving the ground and makes things eventually come back to the ground if they were in the air. These different parts make it possible that these all work together.

More about The Physics Of Tension In The Catapults

Open Document