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19 cm long
5.08 cm tall

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How I could have made my catapult better:

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How I could have made my catapult better:

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Although my catapult was successful for the most part, there were still a few tweaks that I could have made. The first fix that I could have made was making it more durable. I noticed after a few trials it became loose and did not go as far each time. To fix this I could have used stronger glue and doubled up on popsicle sticks. The next fix I could have made was add grips to the bottom. I had to hold the bottom down each time I launched it. If I didn't hold it down, then I wouldn't have been able to pull off the close pin. Lastly, I would try to make the cotton ball heavier. The heaver and denser it was the further it can be launched. If I added more rubber bands to it or hot glued it to make it more dense and heavy, then it would have launched further

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Popcycle sticks
1 Straw
4 Rubber Bands
2 Woden Close Pins
Glue
Masking Tape
2 Paper Clips
Cotton Ball

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The ballista aka the “bolt thrower” is a catapult that launches a large projectile at a distant target. It was developed by the ancient Greeks as weaponry. It was used all the way until the middle ages as an attack weapon. The ballista was used for launching large iron-clad darts or arrows powered by twisted pieces of rope, hair, or sinew (animal ligaments and tendons). The force of the ballista is powerful enough to penetrate several people at one time. Although the ballista is more accurate then other catapults, its range is much less. In the design, all of the force applied to the projectile comes from the tension of the twisted ropes. When the tension is released they return back to their rest state with minimal force.

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The Mangonel was an invaluable Medieval siege attack weapon, similar to a catapult which worked by using torsion or counterpoise. Mangonels fired heavy projectiles from a bowl-shaped bucket at the end of its arm. It was used for throwing various missiles at castles, fortresses, and cities.This catapult is not as accurate as the Ballista but it is able to throw missiles further than a Trebuchet. Missiles are thrown in an overhead arc as opposed to the straight trajectory of the dart throwing Ballista. The Onager catapult is very similar to the mangonel. The word Mangonel is derived from the Latin word manganon which means “an engine of war”.

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The trebuchet is originally man powered instead of using a counterweight. Men would pull ropes providing power. It was later deemed inefficient in warfare because it would take too long and was not accurate enough. The trebuchet was used by the French during 500 BC where it formally got its name the "Trebucher" which is the French word meaning "to throw". It was one of the most effective weapons of its time up until cannons. The trebuchet uses circular motion and projectile motion in the process of launching an object. This causes the payload to go through centripetal acceleration until a certain angle is reached and the payload is launched. Finally during the final stages of the launch, the velocity that was generated during the centripetal acceleration is used to launch the object with projectile motion.

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Horizontal component of the projectile’s velocity: 2.93 m/s

Maximum Altitude: 0.435 s

Maximum altitude of the projectile: .927 m

Initial vertical velocity: 4.263 m

Projectile’s initial resultant velocity: 5.17 m/s

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“Ballista.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista.
Contributors, HowStuffWorks.com. “How Does a Catapult Work?” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 8 Mar. 2018, science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/question127.htm.

“How a Catapult Works: The Basics - Physics of Catapults.” Google Sites, Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/physicsofcatapults/home/how-a-catapult-works-the-basics.

“Mangonel - Physics of Catapults.” Google Sites, Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/physicsofcatapults/home/how-a-catapult-works-the-physics/mangonel.

“Trebuchet.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet.

“What Is the Physics Behind a Counterweight Trebuchet?” COMSOL Multiphysics©, Camsol, www.comsol.com/blogs/what-is-the-physics-behind-a-counterweight-trebuchet/.