Catapult
Summative
Congratulations, here you are now at your summative exercise for the "Hard Tech" part of the Introduction to Technology course. For this summative exercise, you will apply what you have learned in Design to create a new project from scratch. Your task is to demonstrate the steps of the DESIGN CYCLE as well as you can in the time provided
After building the bridge, you have learned skills in design, strength, material use, time management, assembly, and most of all, the ability to be creative when faced with a challenge. Regardless of the outcome of the bridge challenge, you have hopefully learned some valuable skills.
It is time to apply those skills in your summative challenge.
Using the same materials that we used to build the bridge project, you will construct a specific type of catapult, depending on the challenge given by your teacher. You want to make sure you have a flat base. Rather than the idea of supporting weight, we will be focusing on stability and alignment to project your object in a straight line. You will be supporting less weight with the counterbalance, however, that weight will be moving so stability is key.
The Catapult
A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. In use since ancient times, the catapult has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during warfare. There are three basic types of catapult: The Mangonel, the Trebuchet and the Ballista
Challenge A:
Launch a projectile (Gummybear) over the furthest DISTANCE you can manage using only gravity and counter weights
OBJECTIVE: Maximum DISTANCE and FORCE
The Trebuchet
A trebuchet (French trébuchet) is a type of catapult, a common type of siege engine which uses a swinging arm to throw a projectile. The traction trebuchet, also referred to as a mangonel at times, first appeared in Ancient China during the 4th century BC as a siege weapon. You will be constructing a mini version that will throw an object with some distance and hopefully some accuracy.w We will be using the same material that was used to construct our bridges
Challenge B:
Launch a projectile (Marshmallow) OVER a barrier with accuracy using elasticity so that it hits a specific target a set distance away
OBJECTIVE: Short range ACCURACY and ARC
The Mangonel
This machine was designed to throw heavy projectiles from a "bowl-shaped bucket at the end of its arm". Mangonels were mostly used for “firing various missiles at fortresses, castles, and cities,” with a range of up to 1300 feet. These missiles included anything from stones to excrement to rotting carcasses. Mangonels were relatively simple to construct, and eventually wheels were added to increase mobility
NOTE: We will use elastic bands to provide the "torsion" so that the stresses can be distributed over a greater area or the frame