Catapult ideas6/23/2023 Think of a seesaw: the strong bar is the part you sit on, and the fulcrum is the part in the middle where the seesaw balances. To do this, levers are made of a strong bar that pivots on a point called the fulcrum. Levers are used to reduce the amount of force needed to move an object. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the most powerful trebuchet threw a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle (weighing nearly 1,700 pounds) over 250 feet!Ī catapult is an example of a simple machine known as a lever. These giant machines, called trebuchets (pronounced treb-you-shay), used energy from a falling weight to rotate the throwing arm and launch the projectile. These improvements, called innovations, led to catapults that had greater power and could throw huge boulders thousands of feet. Like all good engineers, these inventors were always looking for ways to improve on their design. The earliest catapults used energy from a twisted rope that worked like a rubber band to launch darts, bolts, or spears. Over the ages, many other types of catapults were invented. This type of catapult is called a ballista. The earliest catapults were invented by the Greeks to improve the power of the crossbow. Moving the bucket closer to the fulcrum.Įngineers have been designing and building catapults for thousands of years.Adjusting the angle at which the projectile is released.Aim for 45 ̊.įor catapults that are launching too far, try: Moving the bucket farther from the fulcrum.Increasing the potential energy of rubber bands by winding or doubling them.Challenge participants to design a catapult that can launch a projectile the farthest.įor catapults that are not launching projectiles far enough to hit the target, try:.Make larger catapults with paint stirrers.Could the catapult consistently hit the target?.Participants redesign and adjust catapults until they hit the target. How can you modify your prototype to hit the target?.How far does the projectile travel? How high?.It may help to make sketches to communicate your ideas. Talk with your teammates and plan how your catapult will work.Projectiles launched by the catapult should consistently hit a paper target. Working in teams of 2–3, participants will use up to 15 craft sticks (including 1 premade catapult arm) and 20 rubber bands to build a catapult. ![]() How would you describe the path of an object thrown by a catapult? (Curved, arc, ascending then descending, etc.)Ĭredit: Regents of the University of Colorado.Can you think of any modern uses of catapults? (Aircraft carriers, pumpkin launching contests mousetraps are similar to catapults.). ![]()
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