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Projectile Motion Catapult

The document discusses the design and testing of a catapult to launch a marshmallow five meters. It provides background on the history of catapults, describing three main types: the ballista, mangonel, and trebuchet. The student designed a simple catapult with a solid base and rubber band. Experimental data on launch distance and time was collected and compared to theoretical kinematic equations. The catapult successfully hit the target area in two of three launches, demonstrating the importance of a stable base and strong rubber band for launching projectiles.

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452 views3 pages

Projectile Motion Catapult

The document discusses the design and testing of a catapult to launch a marshmallow five meters. It provides background on the history of catapults, describing three main types: the ballista, mangonel, and trebuchet. The student designed a simple catapult with a solid base and rubber band. Experimental data on launch distance and time was collected and compared to theoretical kinematic equations. The catapult successfully hit the target area in two of three launches, demonstrating the importance of a stable base and strong rubber band for launching projectiles.

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Jack Martha

11/11/15
Period 6

Projectile Motion: Catapults


The objective is to design a catapult to launch a marshmallow actually five
meters onto a designated target. You will apply this to equations for projectile
motion and the laws of Physics. Also you will compare the experimental data to
theoretical data and understand the difference between the two.
The first document of a use of the catapult was in 399 B.C. The first catapults
were used to increase range and power of crossbows. Catapults have been an
important siege warfare tactic for a long time. The first catapult to be used on
English soil was during the Siege of Dover during the middle ages. The French
crossed the Channel and used a catapult to siege Dover. From then on catapults
became and essential thing to have if you wanted to siege castles and villages.
There are three different types of catapults. A Ballista which is basically a giant
crossbow. It had really good accuracy but lacked power unlike the other two
catapults. The Mangonel is what people think of when they hear the word
catapult. The Mangonel would work by pulling the long arm back, putting the
artillery in the bucket, then letting go to launch it at an angle just a little less
than 90 degrees. The last catapult is the Trebuchet. This catapult was designed
for maximum force and damage. The stones it hurtled would demolish castle
walls. The Trebuchet had a massive arm with a sling to load projectiles. When
you launch the weapon the force would be so great. Its all because the giant
arm built up enough velocity and kinetic energy to hurtle the projectiles when it
comes to an abrupt stop. It was the most feared and hated siege weapon. Soon
as time when on and technology got more advanced the catapult was no longer
a good siege weapon to use.
I picked this design for my catapult for a couple of reasons. One it was easy to
make and find the materials but it was also a little more complex when you look
at it closer. My catapult had a solid base and a powerful rubber band. It was a
smaller catapult to so it make for easy transport.
Projectile Motion is connected to Kinematics. The Kinematic equations are
included on gathering the data analysis. The equations include displacement,
acceleration, initial velocity, final velocity, and time.

Materials:

4 Pegs
Hot glue
7 popsicle sticks
Pencil
2 metal picture frame hangers

Jack Martha
11/11/15
Period 6
Bottle cap
Nail
Rubber band

Diagram:

Jack Martha
11/11/15
Period 6

Data Analysis:
Distance

Time

5.35m

0.66s

4.76m

0.7s

5m

0.8s

VX0
8.1m/s
6.8m/s

VY0
3.2m/s
3.4m/s

6.25m/s 3.9m/s

V0
8.7m/s
7.6m/s
7.4m/s

Conclusion:
My catapult worked very well. I hit the target area two out of three times. My
catapult was very small but it got the job done. When it comes to making
catapults the most important things are the base and the rubber band. You need
a stable base and if your rubber band is strong and giving good resistance the
marshmallow will go far. I have learned that it does not matter how big the
catapult is as long as it is built right and has all the right components then I will
be able to launch the projectile with distance and accuracy. Two examples of
projectiles that its landing spot needs to be carefully predicted are missiles
being launched on enemy targets and when a quarterback throws a football to a
receiver or a punter or kicker kicking a football to a specific spot.

Works cited

https://sites.google.com/site/physicsofcatapults/home/history-of-catapults

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