For my experiment, I plan to build a larger scale catapult that will be able to fire a round ball about the size of a soccer ball. I want the soccer ball to be able to consistently go in the hoop after numerous attempts. This will take numerous attempts to find the ride angle, and the correct number bands to use.
The very first catapult was invented in about 400B.C. with the idea to try and improve the crossbow. Diodorus Siculus was the Greek philosopher who invented the catapult, and he first used an arrow to fire. After the started using rocks and such to launch over castle walls, they started using anything they could find, including dead bodies. During bubonic plague, Kublai Khan, a Mongol during the Bubonic Plague, spread the Plague even more rapidly by using a catapult to launch dead bodies from the disease, over the walls.
What exactly is a catapult and what were they used for? "A catapult is a mechanical device that is kind of a bigger version of the slingshot" (Stephen Rampur, 2011) The dictionary definition of a catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a long distance without the help from explosive devices. This means that people would arm the catapult with various non-explosive articles such as rocks or logs, or anything that people found. In medieval times, people used catapults primarily in warfare. The soldiers would fire various objects over the castle walls to attack and harm the enemies. This was a very effective way in which to harm the enemies because it was quiet and they would not know when it was coming.
The most recent use of catapults for warfare was during World War 1, when the wars were mainly taking place from trenches. Soldiers would arm these catapults inside their trench, load the...
... middle of paper ...
...t does not tip over. The catapult needs to have a platform on both sides to keep it sturdy and not lose control. This also allows for more accurate and consistent firing. Also bearings play a big role in catapults. You need to be able to have something that the arm can pivot on without a lot of friction slowing it down. A pipe or some sort of tubing that the arm can pivot on is ideal so it can have the least amount of friction.
In my experiment, I am going to build a catapult that will be able to fire the same object in a consistent area. In order to do that, I will need to have the same amount of tension each time I fire, as well as measure the angle and which I fire each time. Another thing would be to have the stopper at the same spot. These things will allow me reach my goal.
Works Cited
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-a-catapult-work.html
CATAPULTS The catapult, was invented by the Romans, and plays a large role in the siege of any castle. Besiegers could fire 100-200 pound stones up to 1,000 feet. The catapult was used to destroy buildings and walls inside and outside of the castle walls, it could also destroy an enemies moral by throwing severed heads of comrades, they could spread disease by throwing shit and dead animals in, and they could destroy wooden building by throwing bundles of fire in.
Once a paintball gets into the air its flight is much like that of a golf ball. There are a verity of forces that act upon the ball once its in the air. The ball always has the force of gravity acting on it. This causes the paintball to travel in an arc and return to the earth.
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.
Used by castle commanders during times of peace to hurl roses to ladies during tournaments, trebuchets proved a deadly weapon in the field of ancient warfare. Flinging a wide variety of objects hundreds of yards, the trebuchet became the weapon of choice for laying siege to a castle. Its incredible range could often place it beyond the effectual defense range of the castle archers, thereby permitting the besiegers to destroy the defender's walls with little interference. During extended sieges, trebuchets were often used to hurl large quantities of dung, dead animals, and other such items to encourage disease throughout the besieged city.
For over two hundred centuries, mankind has wrestled with the problem of how to hit an object with another object. From the earliest days of the bow and arrow, to today's modern missile defense system, the need to achieve maximum accuracy and distance from a projectile has been critical to the survival of the human race. There are numerous of ways to solve the problem ranging from trial and error—as early man did—to advanced mathematics including trigonometry and calculus. (While the specific mathematical operations are beyond the scope of this work, we will briefly touch on the equations of motion and how they apply to projectile motion as the project progresses.)
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.
Soldiers in medieval Europe used a variety of weapons. A soldier's choice of armor depended on the time during which he lived, the type of fighting he did, and his economic situation. For hand-to-hand combat soldiers typically used swords, axes, clubs, and spears. Crossbows, bows, and javelins served as projectiles for most of the medieval period, though firearms had begun to appear toward the end of the era. Siege weapons such as catapults helped armies break into castles and towns. Many soldiers wore armor to protect them from opponents' weapons. This armor evolved from mail made of metal links to full plate armor as projectile weapons improved.
...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.
...distance, height, and most importantly, angles. The main thing I will be looking for in my experiment is how much angles play a role in goal scoring and where they come into play the most. Using all of the information I have found about how to kick, the proper distance away from the goal when kicking a foul shot, and the correct dimensions of the goal, I will conduct an experiment with results that are as close to a real soccer game as possible. I will not be using defenders that way I can get a better measurement of the angles I am kicking from.
The history of catapult spans far from ancient time, until modern times with the basic principles remained the same. the designs became more complicated, but the intent is the same (shooting an object, such as rocks, into the air).
Another type of catapult is the Onager. Onagers were used right up to the middle ages with the Trebuchet, when gunpowder and the Cannon were invented and eventually replaced the catapults.
“Volley Guns” (Chivers, 2010, p.26) or also known as “Organ Guns” (Ellis, 1975, p.10) were first attempts at increasing firepower by adding several barrels at the firing itself, rather than simply attempting to increase the rate of fire. “Gunsmiths had long ago learned to place barrels side by side on frames to create firearms capable of discharging projectiles in rapid succession. These unwieldy devices, or volley guns, were capable in theory of blasting a hole in a line of advancing soldiers” (Chivers, 2010, p.26). An example of such weapons can be seen on July 28, 1835 when Giuseppe Fieshi unleashed terror on King Louis-Phillipe in Paris, France. He fired his 25 barrel “volley gun”, killing 18 of the king's entourage and grazing the King's skull. The weapon was ineffective however. Four of the barrels failed and another four ruptured. Two other barrels had exploded inside, grievously wounding Giuseppe. (Chivers, 2010, p. 27)
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.
The system and technique of supplying an arrow with kinetic energy through the tension of limbs has been improved with the crossbow. The big catapults took up once again the principle of throwing stones. It all changed with the invention of the gunpowder. Cannons, guns and handheld weapons assumed the role of bow and arrow. Now, the warlike intention behind the long-distance effect went even more into the foreground.
Projectile motion is the force that acts upon an object that is released or thrown into the air. Once the object is in the air, the object has two significant forces acting upon it at the time of release. These forces are also known as horizontal and vertical forces. These forces determine the flight path and are affected by gravity, air resistance, angle of release, speed of release, height of release and spin