Catapult Physics Essay

A catapult is an ancient device used to launch heavy objects at targets during war. The catapult dates all the way back to 400 be when it was invented in the Greek town of Syracus. The main types of catapults are trebuchet, mangonel, onager and ballista. There are many more types of catapults also. Catapults were an absolute revelation in weaponry. The mangonel was best suited for launching projectiles at lower angles to the horizontal, which was useful for destroying walls, as opposed to the trebuchet, which was well suited for launching projectiles over walls. However, the mangonel is not as energy efficient as the trebuchet for the main reason that the arm reaches a high speed during the launch. This means that a large percentage of the stored energy goes into accelerating the arm, which is energy wasted. This is unavoidable however, since the payload can only be launched at high speed if the arm is rotating at high speed. The idea of a catapult came from the invention of the crossbow, which is significantly smaller but uses some of the very same aspects. Catapults where used to throw hot sand to get between the armor of the enemy knights also they were used to throw hot tar to attack there enemies. It was also used to launch infected bodies into enemy camps to spread disease. Although they are very hard to create, they use very simple forms of physics to complete their task of destruction.
The catapult has a basket or cup on the end of a movable arm strong enough and large enough to hold the weight of the object it is intended to hurl. Tension is applied to the arm, whether that be applied by elasticity or trebuchet, which is forced down and then locked in place. People in ancient times used twisted ropes to create tension. Upon release, the arm rotates at a high speed and throws the object out of the bucket, towards the target. The launch velocity of the payload is equal to the velocity of the arm at the bucket end. The launch angle of the payload