What was a catapult made out of

Now the launching stick and the base form a V shape lying on its side with the stack of sticks in the middle. Put your catapult on its base, locate the end of the launching stick that sticks up and glue the bottle cap there so it forms a small cup to hold the missile. Wait until the glue is dry. Procedure Put your catapult in an open area with a sturdy, flat surface such as a table or an open space on a hard floor.

Clear about a meter of open space for the launched object the missile to fly and land. Place a cotton ball in the launching cup, push the cup down just a little bit and let go. What happened to the ball? Did it fly? Did it go high or low? Where did it land? What do you expect will happen when you push the cup farther down? Will this make it fly higher, farther, both higher and farther or take the same path but maybe faster? Perform a test: Put your cotton ball in the cup, push the cup down farther, release and observe.

You might need to repeat the test a few times to make your observations. It all happens fast! Does your ball fly higher or lower? Does it land farther or nearer when you push down a lot compared with when you push down a little? Did you notice in which case you needed to do the most work? Is it when you pushed down a little or when you pushed down farther?

Try more launches. Do you get similar results each time? Is what you observe what you expected? Can you explain why?

Extra: Test what happens if you move the stack of six sticks closer to the launching cup or in the other direction. This will change the position of the launching stick when the missile becomes airborne.

How do you think your change will affect the ball's flight path? Extra: Build several catapults and play a game with your friends. Use a leftover bottle cap as a target. Place the catapults in a circle about 60 centimeters away from the cup and see who can score the most goals. Make the circle bigger and see who can adjust their launching technique to best fit the new conditions. Read more about catapults. Share them with a friend or family member. Did you get it? Test your knowledge.

What are you wondering? Wonder Words hurl military exact launched devices potential explosive tension torsion kinetic Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Mari Hill Sep 26, Sep 26, Hey, Mari! What would you do with a catapult?

Carter May 20, A ballista only shoots arrows, not darts or stones!! Randall Feb 13, The ballista actually shoots HUGE arrows linked to chains to bring walls or dragons down. May 20, Hi Carter! Josh May 21, May 21, Josh May 22, WonderBoi May 23, May 23, Math isn't our strong suit.

Jack Valentine May 17, This Website is family friendly and totally clean! We try, Jack! Thanks for the shout-out! This is a great article thank you Wonderopolis. You help me so much with our school. Thanks for the articles in advance! We're glad you're our Wonder Friend, Jack! Dank boi May 22, Can you do an article about when books were invented? Hi Wonder Friend! Talon Sep 26, I think that it would be a good wonder for Wonderopolis.

Related Wonders for You to Explore Quit Select a Word What is a Catapult? Match its definition: tending or serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst. Word Match Congratulations! Share results. When released the Mangonel's arm would return to its equilibrium position, when it came in contact with the beam or block the arm would stop but the missiles stored in the bucket would continue to launch toward the enemy.

The Mangonel fired projectiles in an overhead arc, the angle of the path of the projectile could be determined by a block placed on the beam that stopped the Mangonel's arm by using a block that stopped the arm earlier than 90 o angle would result in a path angle above the horizontal equal to the the angle between the arm and the 90 o angle.

The Mangonel was capable of firing 1, ft. The Mangonel was easy to construct and wheels were added to the design to increase mobility. The Onager is a type of Mangonel, recieving it's name from Latin word "onagros" meaning wild ass, as the motion and power of the Onager mimicked the kick of the wild ass.

Trebuchet The Trebuchet was designed for maximum force. Believed to have been created by the Chinese in BC the Trebuchet was the most powerful of the catapults. The Trebuchet arrived in Europe around AD. The Trebuchet consisted of a long arm could be up to 60 ft long balanced on a fulcrum that was far from center.

The short arm was attached to a counterbalance; a heavy lead weight or a pivoting ballist box filled with earth, sand, or stones. A sling was attached to the end of the long arm. A rope was attached to the long arm and pulled down until the counterbalance was high in the air. The energy was stored in the potential energy of the counterbalance. The sling was then loaded with projectiles. The rope was released and the counterbalance plummets down. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and when the long arm is brought to an abrupt stop the projectile continue with the velocity produced by the kinetic energy.

The Trebuchet was the most feared and hated siege weapon. The men who manned the Trebuchet were called "gynours" and were under constant assault by arrows and missiles. The Trebuchet was the primary target of many reconnaissance missions sent to burn them to the ground. George the chief engineer of Edward I. Catapults were known for throwing a multitude of objects at the enemy.