However, it is worth noting that the physics of the trebuchet is not unique to the trebuchet. It takes the force of gravity and uses it to fling an object. Thats why, when building a trebuchet, it is essential that you fabricate a wide, sturdy base that is capable of withstanding bending and. This workshop is for 9th through 12th grade concepts. This is a complex physics problem, so there are some references in the bibliography to help get you started.
View notes physics of the trebuchet from eng 1040 at monash. From basic physics we know that the range of a projectile with initial velocity. Only recently have we come to understand how the rotation of the counterweight plays a crucial role in transferring. Physics the ultimate castle wall buster the trebuchet introduction as royal engineer to the king your task is to design, build and test the construction of a trebuchet. Analysis of the trebuchet can provide insight into the mechanics of many other systems, particularly in biomechanics. Although the manual measuring of the crater left by the projectile and thus its. The trebuchet should have a lever arm with a sling attached able to launch a hackey sack as a projectile. They are typically large constructions, from 10 meters 30 ft in height to as much as three times that, made primarily of wood, usually reinforced with metal, leather, rope, and other materials. It also used leverage and a sling for greater efficiency. Kiran temple university fox school of business 17, course hero intern. Our task for this problem was to design a trebuchet that does maximum damage, given. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. The lever arm moves by the release of a counterweight.
The trebuchet itself is a simple device, easy and forgiving to build, and entirely powered by gravity. Physics of the trebuchet physics of the trebuchet the. With vector option you can choose to move the object along a vector direction for a definite distance, while with from to option you will move the object from a starting point to a destination point. Designing a trebuchet optimizing weight and length the. It is made up of a frame, lever arm, counterweight, and a sling. During experiment 6 creaking could be heard as the trebuchet arm was. This is a huge off balance and can cause the trebuchet to tip or even break. The payload could be thrown a far distance and do considerable damage, either by smashing down walls or striking the enemy while inside their stronghold. Capable of throwing a projectile weighing as much as 300 lbs a distance of over 200 yards. The trebuchet in denmarks medieval center is built of oak and medieval craft techniques were used in its construction. Oct 11, 2017 the trebuchet is a large siege weapon that you might recognize from movies set in the middle ages or fantasy worlds.
The trebuchet when and why it was used, why it was. The physics of the release mechanism is also described in some detail. It didnt have to launch a certain distance or be a certain size it was just needed to be able to work. Trebuchet physics modeling lab instructions engineering system. The trebuchet relied on gravity to throw projectiles stones, unliked messangers, and dead animals. Much of this isnt obvious if youre new to trebuchets and i overlooked many of the key energy. Requires a python compiler, and the python modules for math, gtk, pygame, random, and numpy. Not only is it a compound machine a device that uses a number of simple machines it relies on one primary simple machine, the lever, to launch a projectile. Physics of the trebuchet sources trebuchet the attacking force wishes to breach the castle wall. Introductory conservation of mechanical energy problem using. Physics of the trebuchet the trebuchet is actually two things a lever and a sling. A trebuchet is a device that converts potential energy to kinetic energy. Has a ballast of 15 tons and is designed to throw projectiles of up to 300 kg. The trebuchet is a compound machine that makes use of the mechanical advantage of a lever to throw a projectile.
Trebuchet working model step by step free plans and. Building up to pla pdf ramp with masses nb with m2 free to swing, using f ma. Experiments and computer simulations corroborate the calculations. This is the heart of trebuchet physics and is the reason a trebuchet has such great launching power. What im really looking for is a formula for a trebuchet that i can input the desired initial velocity after launch and mass of the object, and from that figure out how long the long arm, short arm. By considering the conservation of energy, we can predict the launch speed of a missile.
Notes to the teacher the calculations of the horizontal and vertical components should involve situations when the. Jan 16, 2017 the trebuchet is one of the most famous siege engines of all time, and designing and optimizing the powerful machine involves some tedious work. A trebuchet is a battle machine used in the middle ages to throw heavy payloads at enemies. A trebuchet is a device that converts potential energy to kinetic energy from basic physics we know that the range of a projectile with initial velocity v and angle. A simple project which attempts to emulate real life in the launching of a trebuchet. The trebuchet was instrumental in the rapid expansion of. When a trebuchet is being launched, there is a massive amount on one end of the trebuchet. Download the big book of catapult and trebuchet plans. Analysis of the resulting projectile motion enables its range to be found. The trebuchet has a large mass on one end of a lever that is fixed on a fulcrum. A heavy weight of mass m falls under gravity, and thereby lifts a lighter weight of. A trebuchet is a siege engine that transfers gravitational energy into kinetic energy. Feb 18, 2016 trebuchet project high school physics nan qiu. Setup we used a trebuchet with a swinging counterweight with a stationary base as seen below.
To that end, we first modeled the trebuchet as a uniform, frictionless beam. They consisted of a single arm that could hurl stones, pots of boiling oil and. We had to find a way to bend the rules in our favor, and the trebuchet was close, but not quite there. These weapons could knock down castle walls in short order. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left.
In fact, you can think of a trebuchet as an upside down golf swing. The algorithmic beauty of the trebuchet on the physics and mechanics of a medieval trebuchet, a type of catapult, its design, working and optimization through improved simulation and mathematical analysis. A trebuchet, also sometimes called a trebucket is a medieval siege engine, a weapon employed either to batter masonry or to throw projectiles over walls. Me and my partner built the trebuchet out of pvc pipes. Since the physics is rather complicated, however, our approach will be to first briefly describe several simplified versions of the machine, with each successive model more closely approximating the real device. The word trebuchet derives from a middle french word meaning overturn, and its structure comes from an ancient variation of the sling. This book is a compilation of stepbystep instructions for how to build nine different types of. A lever is a rigid object that can multiply the force of an another object levers are made of different parts such as the fulcrum, effort arm, and load levers are made of three classes.
History of the trebuchet the trebuchet was first invented in china around 500 to 300 b. From basic physics we know that the range of a projectile with initial velocity v and angle. Assuming flat ground and no air resistance and that our trebuchet releases projectile at 2m elevation and we wish to hit the wall at 2m elevation to simplify the calculation and. The trebuchet is similar to a first order lever, with the counterweight providing the effort, the projectile supplying the load, and all of this is on a fulcrum. Learn how to use the conservation of mechanical energy equation by solving a trebuchet problem. The trebuchet a medievil siege engine of great power. Introductory conservation of mechanical energy problem using a trebuchet. This is the machine that the rules were written for. The trebuchet is a large siege weapon that you might recognize from movies set in the middle ages or fantasy worlds. If you get stuck, you may need to consult a physics textbook, ask your physics teacher for help, or do your own internet search for trebuchet physics.
The hook is both the simplest and the most complicated part of the trebuchet. Ingenium simple trebuchet physics advanced trebuchet. The math behind the trebuchet by andrew lw on prezi. Our recreations of the trebuchet were preceded by a newtonian analysis of three variations of the trebuchet. This is a huge off balance and can cause the trebuchet to tip or even. Suggestions for instruction entry level knowledge equations for constant acceleration are covered in topic 1 and uniform motion is treated in both senior 2 science and senior 3 physics. Trebuchets have historically been used as seige engines, hurling large projectiles houndreds of yards at or over castle walls. Jun 07, 2017 my friend and i are working on a project for our physics class and we need to find the acceleration of a baseball in our trebuchet from rest point to launch point. In addition the background physics behind this type of. May, 2017 homework statement the trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the middle ages to smash castle walls or to lob projectiles over them. This motion is essential to everyday work and play, and physics so far has said very little about it. A lever is a simple machine that gives a mechanical. Lagranges equations the trebuchet has quickly become a favorite project for physics and engineering teachers seeking to provide students with a simple but spectacular handson design project.
Introductory conservation of mechanical energy problem. Students build a trebuchet in groups of their peers, and analyze the physics and engineering that goes into building it, and launching it. This is a brief tutorial on trebuchet physics and useful tricks to make your trebuchet throw farther. In this simple machines lab students will investigate how the trebuchet works using their prior knowledge of simple machines, and physics. For example, in a golf swing the same basic physics applies. Additional sections include historical notes for the different types of machines, warnings and safety suggestions, tuning tips, notes on scaling, tools. Launch velocity of a trebuchet tuhs physics home page 1. Catapults and trebuchets catapulting, trebuchets and physics, oh my. Thus, the maximum theoretical range of a trebuchet is given by mgh cw mv projectile. A trebuchet is a mechanism used to throw missiles in ancient medieval warfare. This weapon is built on the idea of converting potential energy into kinetic energy to hurl a projectile over a large distance. Mar 18, 2014 this is a brief tutorial on trebuchet physics and useful tricks to make your trebuchet throw farther.
Pdf the trebuchet is a hardware architecture for machines implemented from conventional software source programs. Students in our mechanics course apply conservation principles to the trebuchet models, and make predictions regarding the effective range of each of the three models. Effect of trebuchet arm length or counterweight mass on. The trebuchet is one of the most famous siege engines of all time, and designing and optimizing the powerful machine involves some tedious work. Return of the trebuchet many modern reproductions of trebuchets exist today.
Myo make your own gumball trebuchet out of cardboard duration. Not only was the trebuchet more powerful than its predecessors, accuracy was improved as well. A trebuchet is a siege engine that was invented in the middle ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them. Catapults and trebuchets catapulting, trebuchets and. The physics behind this weapon are simple in concept, but complex in detail. It considers several models of varying complexity and finds a maximum range efficiency of 83% for a 100 pound counterweight, 1 pound projectile, a 5 foot long beam pivoted 1 foot from the point of attachment of the counterweight, and a 3. Learn how to design the perfect trebuchet by watching the animated video below or continuing to read the article.
Individually crafted of heavy, cabinet grade red oak and maple, this all hardwood kit is designed to help you complete your project quickly and easily. It does this by the use of a counterweight that falls. Counterweight lifted by human powered hamster wheels. A lever is a rigid object that can multiply the force of an another object levers are made of different parts such as the fulcrum, effort arm, and load levers are made of. Throughout this tutorial students learn basics of adamsview and get acquainted with some aspects of trebuchet design. So what we found was that the velocity of a projectile launched from our trebupult increases in a fairly linear relationship as to its counterweight as it increases, but as when the counterweight starts to. Homework statement the trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the middle ages to smash castle walls or to lob projectiles over them. However, this is where the comparison ends, for the trebuchet is not trying to lift a load but to throw one. My friend and i are working on a project for our physics class and we need to find the acceleration of a baseball in our trebuchet from rest point to launch point. The wikipedia page on trebuchets links to a pdf paper which discusses exactly this question. Use hand calculations to predict the range of a trebuchet based on its dimensions and other variables. Introductory conservation of mechanical energy problem using a trebuchet 8. No one knows on what fateful day man discovered that it was safer to kill his neighbor from afar, but that day saw the beginning of the great history of missile weapons.
It controls the release of the sling, the trajectory, and the distance of the throw it must be adjusted so that the release of the projectile is launched at a 45 degree angle. Operation of the trebuchet upon release of the trigger holding the beam in its starting position usually placed near. We decided on this style of trebuchet simply for the ease of building it. Does anyone have an idea of an easy way we could find this acceleration. The base of the trebuchet should fit in a square area of 50 cm by 50 cm.
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