introduction
An ordinary trebuchet exist amongst powerful follow trebuchets on the planet Omega. Soon, their planet was destroyed by the evil Galactus. Empowered by fury and rage Trebslayer grows stronger and stronger thereby, creating an army of her own to complete the mission to destroy Galactus and avenge her planet.
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to build a Trebuchet that will launch a tennis ball as a projectile in a parabolic arc towards a target placed at multiple locations and heights efficiently.
materialS
- Base: 2 2x4's that are 36 inches long and 2 2x4's that are 12 inches long
- Support: 2 2x4's that are 23 inches long
- Arm: 1 2x4 that is 40 inches long
- Side cover: 1 piece of 1/4 inch plywood that is approximately 20 inches square. Cut it hexagonally twice.
- Platform:1 piece of flat wood (plywood or something similar) that is 10-12 inches wide and 36 inches long. This is the platform that the string and pouch rest/slide on
- String
- Piece of cloth for the pouch - 10 x 6 inches
- Dowel
- Electric drill
- Hammer
- Electric saw
- Eyehook
- Dumbbells (10 lb x 2)
- Nails, screws and bolts"
Cost analysis
- Wood - N/A
- Spray Paint - $6.99 x 3
- Eye hooks- N/A
- Nails and screws - N/A
- Bolts - $2.49 and $0.89
- Dowel - N/A
- Weights - N/A
- Strings - $5.99
- Bucket - $2.97
Task Breakdown
Rehnuma
Amanjot
Ibtisam
- Research on catapults
- Design
- Shopping
- Construction
- Testing
- Movie trailer direction
Amanjot
- Research
- Construction
- Website Content
- Testing
- Movie trailer direction
Ibtisam
- Research
- Construction
- Testing
- Website design
- Movie trailer direction
Timeline
- October 19th - Research on catapult
- October 20th - Designing catapult
- October 24th - Construction of catapult
- November 1st - Trails & Fixing of catapult
- November 6th & 7th - Testing/Trails
- November 10th - Launch Day
Procedure/Construction of trebslayer
Construction of Trebuchet
Investigation questions
- Will our Trebslayer shoot at the specified target?
- Will our Trebslayer be able to shoot at the 20m mark?
Trials
Quantities and variables
BEFORE THE LAUNCH DAY
2 Tennis Balls
7 Weights - To test different distances
1 Hammer - To fix the angle of the nail on the throwing arm
2 Screws - If 1 of them breaks or gets bent
1 Rope - In case of an emergency (If the bucket breaks)
7 Weights - To test different distances
1 Hammer - To fix the angle of the nail on the throwing arm
2 Screws - If 1 of them breaks or gets bent
1 Rope - In case of an emergency (If the bucket breaks)
ON THE LAUNCH DAY
Choose different targets to launch
Analysis & discussion
Our trebslayer was successful in shooting at some targets. It was inconsistent at times. Partly, it was maybe due to the rope tangling with the nail at the throwing arm which set an angle. The trebslayer shot the tennis ball further when the angle of the nail was 45 degrees. Also, our launching bucket broke at times so we had to re-fix it most of the times. But, due to an amazing group collaboration we were able to fix the bucket problem with the rope. After the bucket was fixed, our trebslayer was able to shoot at the longest distance of 21 m.
Calculations
Gravitational Energy
mgh = 0.57(9.8)(1)
= 5.9 Joules
Kinetic Energy
1/2mv^2
1/2(0.57)(14.02)^2
56.02 Joules
Momentum
P = m(Δv)
= 0.57(13)
= 7.41 kg.m/s^2
mgh = 0.57(9.8)(1)
= 5.9 Joules
Kinetic Energy
1/2mv^2
1/2(0.57)(14.02)^2
56.02 Joules
Momentum
P = m(Δv)
= 0.57(13)
= 7.41 kg.m/s^2