Fire Away Project

The Fire Away Project, was a mission for 17 different groups to each build their own catapult that would launch a projectile the farthest distance. The constraints of the project were:

1. Less than 1 meter squared

2. Must be portable/aimable

3. Adjustable

4. Reusable

5. Initiated by humans

For my group, we started by making a base for the catapult with four 2x4 pieces of wood. Next, we added the supporting towers to attach the launching arm. This consisted of a pvc pipe, a piece of wood for the arm, and a bolt to connect it all. From there, 18 rubber bands were used to fire the catapult, with a clay projectile. 

Main Selling Points:

1. Reliable: During our tests, we found that the catapult shot within 3 meters of the other tests. 

2. Reusable: The catapult was reused over and over during the testing and over the course of the project.

3. Lightweight: While the catapult may not have been compact, it was lightweight and stable, with the four legs made of 2x4, and the base made with plywood, the total weight of the catapult was ideal for stable, reliable, movements. 

4. Simple: The total device was made with wood, screws, and a projectile. This makes for a simple, easy to understand and use catapult. 

Over the course of the project, we made 8 different changes from the original catapult. These included:

1. Plywood base added to the four 2x4 planks for better stability.

2. Increasing the the plank stability with screws

3. Bigger bolt used for better accuracy

4. PVC Pipe over the bolt for less friction

5. Longer screw used to hold rubber bands for more tension/force

6. Number of rubber bands increased from 10 to 18 for more spring constant

7. More mass added to projectile for more momentum

8. Trigger Mechanism added for better accuracy

Technical Specifications include:

1. Mass of Projectile: .021 kilograms (About the size of a grape), how much the projectile weighed.

2. Horizontal Distance: 25 meters (82 feet), how far the projectile went.

3. Time in Air: 3.2 seconds, 1.6 seconds rise of projectile, 1.6 seconds of fall.

4. Vertical Distance: 7.8 meters (26 feet), how high the projectile went.

5. Horizontal Velocity: 7.8 m/s (17 mph), how fast horizontally the projectile went.

6. Vertical velocity: 15.68 m/s (35 mph), how fast vertically the projectile went.

7. Total Velocity: 17.5 m/s (39 mph), the total of how fast the projectile went.

8. Initial Spring Potential Energy: 22.65 Joules ( 17 ft/lbs), the initial potential energy of the rubber bands before the launch. 

9. Release Angle: 64 degrees, the angle the arm launches the projectile.

10. Kinetic Energy of the ball: 3.2 J (2.3 ft/lbs), the kinetic energy of the moving projectile.

11. Percent Energy Converted 14%, the percent of potential energy converted to kinetic energy.

12. Spring Constant 245 N/M (180 ft/lbs with MA of the arm), constant pull of the rubber bands on the arm.

Overall, I want