Trebuchet Essay

840 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Notes about trebuchet

For my PJAS science experiment this year, I chose to test and experiment with the main physics behind a trebuchet, a medieval weapon. A trebuchet, in simple terms, is a mechanical device that that can throw a wide range of projectiles with very good accuracy. These projectile can range in weight from a tennis ball, like I am launching, to the heaviest object being a large stone. The trebuchet that I will be experimenting with was designed sometime in the twelfth century. This version of the trebuchet utilizes the force of gravity to pull a heavy counterweight to the ground. The ancestors of the modern trebuchet were first built in the sixth century. However, these devices were human powered; they did not use the concept of a counterweight being …show more content…

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. The common trebuchet, the same design as the one I am designing, is constructed with a base that has a revolving intersection at the top. Connected to this intersection are the trebuchet's key components. The longer arm that is connected to the sling, which is the component that holds the item that is going to be launched, and the shorter arm, the arm that is connected to the heavy counterweight. In a successful launch of a trebuchet, the counterweight is first released; it uses the force of gravity, as I mentioned before, to pull the counterweight to the ground. The chain reaction then pulls the sling forward and upward at high velocity. Finally, the projectile is then launched forward an extreme distance and with extreme …show more content…

Tennis balls have an average mass of fifty-eight grams. I chose to launch a tennis ball because of its size, its easiness to spot, and its bright color. It also stands out, so in the case of a misfire, it is noticeable and would not go crashing into something or through a window and break something. Based on a simulator, I predict my trebuchet to launch the tennis ball over one-hundred meters. Even though a trebuchet is typically made of wood, I plan to make my replica out of PVC piping that can be purchased at the local hardware store. The scientific name of PVC piping is Polyvinyl Chloride. In North America and Europe, Polyvinyl Chloride is a thermoplastic vinyl made of 57% chlorine and 43% carbon. I chose to construct the trebuchet out of PVC piping because it is easy to cut, manage, and assemble with readily available joints. I predict that the hardest part of my design and constructing phase will be planning and buying the correct pieces to complete the design of the trebuchet in the first

Show More
Related

  • Science Olympiad: The Boomilever

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before continuing much further, there are a few terms that need to be defined. First and foremost are the two main forces that act upon the boomerang, tension and compression. Tension is the force acting upon the side of the boomilever that is being “pulled” away from the wall, or the top side. On the other end of the spectrum is compression, which is the force acting on the side of the boomilever being pushed toward the wall, or the bottom of the device. Generally, compression is the main concern in building.

    Read More

  • Catapult By J. A Mcleod Summary

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Medieval Siege Weapons

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Revolutionary Artillery in the Revolutionary War

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Revolutionary War, the Artillery assets that were available were a combination of cannons, mortars and howitzers. There were two types of cannons used at this time. The Field Guns, which were lightweight and easier to move, and the Siege Guns, which were much heavier and less mobile. The cannons utilized three different types of rounds. The rounds were solid shot, grapeshot, and canister. The solid shot rounds were used for structures, buildings, and ships. The grapeshot, which was a canvas bag of lead or iron balls, was ideal for long range personnel. The canister shot was a wooden cartridge carrying iron balls and when fired would explode like a shotgun for shorter range personnel. The cannons were mostly low trajectory as opposed the mortars which were high trajectory and fire bomb shells. The mortar was based on a wooden platform and a wedge of wood was used to incline the front of the barrel. There were land service mortars and sea service mortars. The land service being more mobile and the sea service much heavier and were permanently positioned on ships. By the time of the Revolutionary War there were nine types of land service mortar and four types of sea service mortar. They ranged from 4.4 to 13 inches. The rounds fired out of mortars were designed to fire at a high trajecto...

    Read More

  • The Trebuchet

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Catapult

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    Then I attached the “steps” to the milk crate. The steps will hold the base of the ratapult at a 25-degree angle. I attached the “steps” by drilling holes in the bottom of them and then tying them to the milk crate. Then I nailed the board with wallpaper into the back end of the base. The base was then nailed into the “steps”, and glued grass decorations and cardboard cows to the base. The ratapult was completed.

    Read More

  • Roman Siege Weapons

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    The earliest model was the trebuchet. It started by using a large weight on one end of a pivoting arm. The arm was pulled back the missile was placed and then let go. The weight went down, the arm went, and the missile launched. The later model gained its power from a tightly wound skein of rope, hair, and skin. the skeins were twisted incredibly tight and then had a wooden arm up to sixty feet long placed in between them. The arm was pulled back using pulleys and rope, the missile was placed in the wood cup and then the arm was released. The arm sprang to a 90 degree angle where it was stopped by a large padded piece of wood. The arm was then brought back down and fired again.

    Read More

  • Essay On Trebuchet

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    For almost as long as civilizations began they have been fighting against each other. Often times these wars come down to who has the better military equipment. When one army creates an elite war machine another army is sure to soon copy or improve it. For example the U.S. Army Signal Corps purchased the first ever military aircraft in 1902 (Taylor). Two years later the Italians were also using aircrafts. The trebuchet catapult is no exception; it was one of the most destructive military machines of its time (Chevedden, 2000). A trebuchet works by using the energy of a falling counterweight to launch a projectile (Trebuchet). In this research paper I intend to explain the history and dynamics of a trebuchet catapult.

    Read More

  • The Trebuchet

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Standing some 3 feet tall, this trebuchet could repeatedly launch a 2-3oz object in excess of 20 feet.

    Read More

  • Crossbows

    381 Words  | 1 Pages

    Crossbows can vary a lot in design and construction. They range from 50 to 400 lbs. in draw weight. They can be very small hand held pistols or rifles, which can fire rapidly and accurately with pinpoint accuracy up to 60 yards and kill ranges up to 100 yards. The larger bows with 400lb. draw weights could have ranges of over 400 yards they could fire large arrows, rocks and other types of projectiles accurately while staying well out of range of most enemy fire. These bows were built of large beams and sat on wheels so that 2 men could change the position of the bow easily. These bows were very powerful but were also very slow in loading and firing. They had mechanical winches, which were hand cranked to draw the bowstring back. It took two men to run these bows called siege machines.

    Read More

  • Medieval Weapons

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...e went into motion. Possible projectiles of the trebuchet were living prisoners, jugs of Greek fire, rocks, and animals. Another large weapon of siege was used primarily in storms, the battering ram. In its early stages, the ram was no more than a hefty beam with a mass of metal attached to the end. Men would hoist the cumbersome boom onto their shoulders and run into a wall or door as many times as needed until the surface under attack gave way. In the Middle Ages, it was developed into more of a machine, for the ram hung from the center of a tent under which the men operating the ram could hide. The ram could be swung like a pendulum much more easily than having to constantly run back and forth. Also, castle guards often poured hot oil or other things onto the ram and its engineers. The tent, which was on wheels, protected the men and the battering ram as well.

    Read More

  • Trebuchet Essay

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a throwing arm, a base, a sling, a counterweight, a pin and trigger, and the projectile itself. The throwing arm is what swings the sling (the contraption used to hold the projectile). The base is there primarily for foundational support and to hold everything up and together. When one pulls the pin from the trigger, it allows the counterweight (which replaced the pulling men for the traction trebuchet), which is commonly lead, to fall due to gravity. The falling counterweight is what sends the projectile flying through the air. “When the counter-weight falls, its gravitational potential energy is changed to kinetic energy in the moving projectile” (Campbell,

    Read More

  • Investigating the Bounce of a Tennis Ball after It Has Been Dropped From Certain Height

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Investigating the Bounce of a Tennis Ball after It Has Been Dropped From Certain Height

    Read More

  • Essay On Catapult

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    These engineers that were working for Phillip of Macedonia are trusted with building the first ballista. These model of catapult are used with two wooden arms, hard wound ropes and a cord to assist in the hurling of a deadly rocket, such as spears, at an enemy.

    Read More

  • Essay On Projectile Motion

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this assessment of the projectile motion of an object, I found that it can be applied to many useful situations in our daily lives. There are many different equations and theorems to apply to an object in motion to either find the path of motion, the displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time of the object in the air.

    Read More

More about Trebuchet Essay

Open Document