As the arm swings, the sling holding the eraser slides off the hook and the erasers kinetic energy causes it to fly through the air as a projectile. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. They can use a counterweight to launch a 90 kg projectile over 300 meters. Try rotating the arm with your hand. Share it with us! Trebuchet is another type of catapult uses gravity to launch or throw a projectile. Easy DIY Instructions on Making a Popsicle Stick Catapult. Create a structure as shown below. A trebuchet has a counterweight that is raised and then dropped. This will hold your projectile. When you release the eraser, the battery falls and its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy of the eraser. Watch. A trebuchet is a type of catapult, but it uses gravity to launch the projectile. "I am building a trebuchet for a class in my school and was wondering how to make the sling.". Step-2: Attach Vertical Supporting Structures Do not get confused!! Attach a posicle stick across the two sticks fanning out. Now we are all done with our project. Storm the Castle. https://stormthecastle.com. Try this project to build a miniature version! The throwing side of the swing arm should rest on the short side of the trebuchet frame because the force generated when it moves will thrust the frame downward. Ben Finio is a senior staff scientist at Science Buddies and a lecturer at the Cornell University Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. How to make a simple paper rocket launcher this is a very simple design that will shoot a paper rocket over 50 feet. Project: Trebuchet Overview: This medieval launcher would reek havoc on enemies castles. Assemble all your materials in a location that is open and clear of people, animals or breakable objects so that you can test your trebuchet. Slide the pencil into the milk shake straw. Make a small loop on one end of the wire and attach some string to the loop. Stick the ends of the A-frame pieces into the slots. The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules. Build the base of the trebuchet using Popsicle sticks and stick them to each other using super glue as shown. Step 2: What if you glue multiple popsicle sticks together to make a longer arm? The tuning section gave us a ton of advice on how to fix problems and adjust our range. Today, we continued practicing shooting our trebuchet. When you pull down on the eraser, this causes the battery to lift up in the air, giving it (gravitational) potential energy. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Catapult Design Lesson Plan People This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. In Deo Confido Once more into the fray Into the last good fight I'll ever know Live and die on this day Live and die on this day If your trebuchet is small enough, you can launch the projectile by sharply pulling down on the short end of the swing arm instead of using a counterweight. I'll try to remember to take a video tomorrow. A trebuchet is a siege engine that was used in the Middle Ages to fling projectile ofup to140 pounds at enemy structures.Please Rate this Instructable and follow me for more cool step by step guides. Stick the ends of the A-frame pieces into the slots. You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/pencil-trebuchet. Pumpkin chunkin' involves tossing pumpkins with a simple trebuchet made out of paper and household materials. A trebuchet has a lever arm with a large, heavy counterweight on one end and a smaller projectile on the other end. This should raise the counterweight up in the air. The base of your trebuchet can be no more than 1 m x 1 m (about 3 ft. x 3 ft.). Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult: build and experiment with a simple catapult made from wooden sticks and rubber bands to explore the physics at work in a catapult. The straw should be much closer to the counterweight than it is to the hook. Thank you. 7. This catapult works by storing elastic potential energythe type of energy you get from stretching something such as a rubber band or a springand rapidly converting it to kinetic energy (the energy of motion) of a projectile (in that case a cotton ball). The swing arm should turn freely on the axle without wobbling. What impact do you think the weight of the counterweight will have on your projectile? More powerful. What happens if you move the pivot so it is exactly in the middle of the arm? Get ready to build your own! Comment Download Step 1: What you need: 1. Today, we got our trebuchet to fire accurately. Take 4-5 sticks and stack them together, using a Advertisement Video of the Day Step 1 Place two popsicle sticks together, end-to-end. Do this by using a Popsicle stick and placing two other sticks at an angle on either side of this stick, then place another popsicle stick over it to fortify the pillar. Then attach a popsicle stick across the two sticks fanning out so as to join them. Fun! Remember that there is no single correct way to build the trebuchet. Here is a Simple Way to Build a Trebuchet. The triangle spikes, which serve to keep the triangle from slipping when it hits the ground, are most visible in the front and side views. Then, making sure no people, animals or breakable objects are nearby, let go. These can be 1/2 the length of either the uprights or of the long base pieces. Let's make a catapult. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Insert the pencil through the washer hole on one side and out of the other hole. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 398,555 times. Does it get launched forward? What happens when you let the eraser go? Active Time 15 minutes. Electrical Tape Mechanical engineers are part of your everyday life, designing the spoon you used to eat your breakfast, your breakfasts packaging, the cap on your toothpaste tube, and much more! Try pulling the eraser under the trebuchet frame. I know you used that to attach the axle, but what did you use to attach the counterweight? Step 1 Place two popsicle sticks together, end-to-end. Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe gestures. If you want to build your own trebuchet, first cut and sand the frame pieces and the swing arm. We hope to restring all the weights and possibly put a new nail in before doing our final test tomorrow. Did you make this project? Popsicle sticks 2. There is a pin to hold it in place, and it's attached to a string you pull to launch the trebuchet. Hang the battery from the notches in the popsicle stick. Repeat Step 3 and create a similar structure. What impact do you think the weight of the counterweight will have on your projectile? Popsicle stick Whipper Trebuchet 33,309 views Mar 21, 2019 374 Dislike Share Save NumaVIG 58.3K subscribers How to make mini Whipper Trebuchet out of popsicle sticks easy. If your trebuchet releases the projectile too soon, the projectile could fly upward or even backward. Now you will build the trebuchet's arm. Create a structure as shown. Yeah you can use screw eyes there. This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies. Don't judge how I made my trebuchet with popsicle sticks. Does it go straight up in the air? Think of this as an engineering design projectthere is no single right answer or correct way to build the trebuchet. What happens if you bend the paper clip so it is straighter or more curved or if it is cut to be shorter? Creativity in fantasy, how to write, make video games, play classical guitar and do creative things. Round Pencils (as an axle) Cut a small section of milk shake straw, about one inch long. Fun with learning. Step 6: Washers? Popsicle Stick Trebuchet Analysis Questions. Its up-to-date information and news about the Society and how our members are making a difference everyday. on Introduction. If you plan to use your trebuchet indoors, youll want to make a small trebuchet. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Bring the swing arm of the trebuchet down so that the counterweight is in the air. Eye Hooks. You should be able to tinker with your design a bit (see recommendations at the end of the procedure) to get your eraser to launch. Consequently, their skills are in demand to design millions of different products in almost every type of industry. SWE's Ongoing Work for Intentional Inclusion >, Hands-On Engineering Activity: Build A Mini Trebuchet, Piece of corrugated cardboard, about one foot by one foot, Glue (a hot glue gun is best if available but use caution and adult assistance when using hot glue.). You can make a wooden trebuchet with a base about 12 inches (30 cm) and a swing arm of about 16 inches (40 cm) or a smaller and lighter model out of popsicle sticks. It will act as a counter weight carrier. I went on the wrong note last time. Take five popsicle sticks and cut one of them in half. Materials: 3/4" plywood, 2' of 5/8" threaded Keep reading to learn how to use your trebuchet! 4. You probably know what a catapult is. How to Build a Trebuchet. 11 years ago Final product must collapse to fit a 38 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm (15 in. If you made the long base pieces 1 foot (30 cm) long, they would be 10 to 12 inches (24 to 30 cm) long. Three cross pieces. Popsicle Catapult Tech 101 Kids. If any of the joints seem weak or the frame wobbles significantly, reinforce them with tape, glue, or rubber bands. A trebuchet. This would be amazingly strong for its size and still be quite easy to build. Try using lighter (or heavier) batteries. This forms a crossbar and completes your trebuchets frame. Find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM related topics. What if you glue multiple popsicle sticks together to make a longer arm? In Singapore on the other hand they super glued the screw part to the trebuchet and the eye part was used to cling onto the counterweight. When drilling holes through the swing arm, use the bit the next diameter larger than that of the axle or possibly even 2 sizes larger. These should be about 5/6 the length of the base pieces or as long as the base pieces, but no longer. This hands-on catapult building activity can be modified in a million ways and tested with different projectiles for distance and weight! A toy trebuchet might seem harmless, but even a small projectile can cause eye damage. Catapult or trebuchet shows creativity and launches a large marshmallow. If you find the trebuchets sling too awkward to bother with, you can replace the sling and its hook with a scoop-shaped bucket. Glue one popsicle stick to one of the points of the triangle and glue the other end to where it bisects the opposing side. If youre having trouble you can watch a video of the build. X A trebuchet is a device used in the Middle Ages to launch very heavy objects at opponents during battle. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2d\/Build-a-Trebuchet-Step-1Bullet1.jpg\/v4-460px-Build-a-Trebuchet-Step-1Bullet1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2d\/Build-a-Trebuchet-Step-1Bullet1.jpg\/aid4325264-v4-728px-Build-a-Trebuchet-Step-1Bullet1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"