Ryan Baranowski

11/11/15
Period 6
Homemade Catapults
Introduction
The objective of this project was to make a catapult that
would launch a marshmallow five meters. After this was complete
the scientist recorded the time and distance of the launches and
from there he found the x axis velocity, y axis velocity and the
average velocity. The history of catapults goes back thousands of
years. Originally they were created to launch projectiles at
opposing armies. The projectiles could range from exploding
bombs to disease ridden bodies that would be launched over a
cities wall to infect the city. Catapults were designed as massive
crossbows. They were used by the Romans, Chinese, and Greeks
to help rule their empires. The catapult is no longer needed in
modern military life. Even though technology has improved they
still display the basic properties of physics. There are three main
types of catapults, the Springald, the Mangonel, and the
Trebuchet. The scientist picked the Mangonel because it seemed
to be the most practical to build. Many physics concepts take
place during a catapult launch, some of the main ones are the
initial velocity when the projectile is launched, the force when it is
launched, and the force of gravity acting upon the projectile.

https://sites.google.com/site/physicsofcatapults/home/history-of-catapults

Design Plan
Materials

2x4 Piece of Wood

50cm Piece Copper Tubing
15.2cm Spring
Regular Size Marshmallow
Tape Measure
Screws

The catapult follows the design of the Mangonel style. It works by

having a long arm and when it is pulled back the tension
increases and when it is released it launches upward until it is
stopped by the stopping arch and the item is launched due to
Newtons first Law (objects in motion stay in motion).

Data Table
Distance
(meters)

Flight
Time
(second
s)

4.4

1.9

2.3

9.3

9.6

4.4

2.1

2.1

10.2

10.5

4.9

1.1

4.5

5.3

7.0

Vx0
(m/s)

Vy0
(m/s)

Initial velocity, Vxo was determined by utilizing the following formula:

Vxo = D/T
T=Time
D=Distance
Vxo = 4.4m/1.9s = 2.3 m/s
Vxo = 4.4m/2.1s = 2.1 m/s
Vxo = 4.9m/1.1s = 4.5 m/s

Vo
(m/s)

Initial velocity, Vyo was determined by utilizing the following formula:

Vy = Vyo + Ay *T
Ay= acceleration based upon 9.8 m/s
T = time (measured as of the recorded time)
Vy = assumed to be 0 at the top of the projectile arc

Vy= Vyo+ Ay *T
0 = Vyo+ 9.8m/s*(1.9s*.5)
Vyo = 9.3 m/s

Vy= Vyo + Ay*T

0=Vyo+9.8m/s*(2.1s*.5)
Vyo = 10.2 m/s

Vy= Vyo +Ay*T

0= Vyo+(9.8m/s*1.1s*.5)
Vyo = 5.3 m/s

The average velocity Vo was determined by utilizing the following formula:

Vo = SQRT {Vyo^2+ Vxo^2}

Conclusion
After completing this project there are some things to take away from it.
I believe the project worked well but there are some areas I could have gotten more
accurate calculations. The biggest problem was timing the launch. It is extremely
difficult to time somethings flight with just a stopwatch and I believe that is why
some of my calculated results are so diverse. At first my hypothesis was that
building a catapult to shoot five meters would be easy, however I soon learned this
would not factual. After swapping out many parts the perfect ratio of tension and
arm length was found and it began shooting very consistently. This project was a
fun way of learning how to find the velocity of something in real life and not just text

book problems. There are many occasions in life where finding somethings exact
landing point is crucial. One is the kicker on a football team placing the ball between
defenders to better his team. The most crucial one is military mortars. A soldier
misfiring a mortar could lead to many civilian casualties. The application of these
physics theories occurs in everyday activities for these professionals.