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Nicholas Lloyd

Mr. Williams

STEM 3/4

7 November 2017

Proof of Efficacy

Description: We were given the assignment of building a trebuchet, similar to a catapult.

The design could not exceed 1 meter in length in any direction and the projectile fired had to go at

least 5 meters in distance. After building and firing the trebuchet we added 8 modifications to

enhance its performance.

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8 modifications:

10 gram clay ball projectile; smaller mass needs less force to travel farther

No rotation stopper; allows full rotation of the arm and allows for full momentum

Spacers; limits jostling of the arm which reduces friction

30 centimeters of string; the length allows for a longer follow but is not too long as

to drag and get caught up

Long, thick rubber bands; to fire using spring potential energy

45 degree nail; smoother release at an angle that projectiles travel farthest

Wide screw placement; to stretch rubber bands further causing more tension for

more powerful release

6 rubber bands instead of 2 for more firepower

Trebuchet Projectile Mass

While building a trebuchet with a 1 meter frame, use a 10 gram clay ball to

maximize the distance of the shot. We built a trebuchet in order to fire a projectile at a

minimum of 5 meters. We decided modify our projectile as part of an experiment. We

tried clay balls that were 10g, 20g, 30g,40g and 50g. While firing we noticed that the 10g

ball went as far as 8m while the others traveled significantly less distance. The data

shows us that the smaller mass traveled the farthest. This is due to the fact that the mass

is small which means it requires less force and accelerates at a greater rate. Also its

small shape means it is not affected by air resistance to the same degree. When firing a
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1 meter trebuchet use a 10 gram ball made out of clay to send it a maximum of 15

meters.

Calculations:

Time in air: 3 seconds: Length of time ball was in the air

Horizontal Distance: 15 meters: the amount of ground traversed

Vertical Distance: 9.8 meters: the peak of the balls height

Vertical Velocity: 29.4 meters per second: the speed and direction at which the

ball traveled vertically

Horizontal Velocity: 5 meters per second: the speed and direction the ball

traveled horizontally at

Total Velocity: 53.75 meters per second: The total speed and direction of the

ball

Spring Constant: 122.5 N/m: the displacement of the rubber band

Angle of release: 33 degrees: the release angle the ball took flight at

Mass of projectile: 10 grams: the amount of material the ball is made of

Spring Potential Energy: 5.45 Jueles: the displacement of the rubber band

Kinetic Energy: 1.44 Jueles: the energy of the ball during movement

Percent of Energy Converted: 2.65% : the amount of energy transferred from

potential energy to kinetic energy

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Selling Points

Consistent in distance travelled

Modified to be more effective

Simple to operate