Essay On Trebuchet

Introduction

The trebuchet was an old almost ancient machine. To be more specific, it was a weapon used in the Middle Ages to siege castles. The trebuchet used an arm with a payload of lead balls, or rocks to crush enemy walls. Also there is a sling which they would load their object to launch toward their enemy. On the opposite side of the throwing arm is a counterweight. The counterweight can be made of several materials. Some of these materials are, for example, a lead block, or a basket full of rocks and other heavy objects they had access too at the time. The main science behind a trebuchet is simple. It involves physics. When the trigger mechanism is pulled the counterweight will fall sending the other end of the throwing arm upward. This is much like the action of a see-saw. But the sling is the main part of the action. Without it, the trebuchet is much like a poorly built catapult. This is because of the whipping action creates a buffer when the mass of the payload makes the arm stop becouse the sling is moving faster than

Mass effects the physics of the projectile. Also, it greatly effects the trebuchet because the counterweights mass. Also, gravity plays an important role in the physics of the trebuchet as well. For example, it effects the projectile while in mid-flight. It it also brings the counterweight down to make the other end go up. A very important factor is inertia. Inertia describes why an object will stay at rest, and why an object will stay in motion, unless another force acts on that object. Also centrifugal force is why the payload doesnt simply smash onto the trebuchet as it swings over it. Velocity is the speed and direction of the projectile. And lastly we described how friction is important. It is because it effects the axle the sling and the way it flies and will eventually roll.As you can see, there is much physics involved in