Physics and Astronomy

Trebuchet!

Students in the introductory mechanics course at Carthage designed and built a "trebuchet," a medieval counterweight catapult whose history is shrouded in mystery. While there are a few surviving drawings of the device, including those of Leonardo da Vinci, its design details are largely lost. Our recreations of the trebuchet were preceded by a Newtonian analysis of three variations of the trebuchet. Students in our mechanics course apply conservation principles to the trebuchet models, and make predictions regarding the effective range of each of the three models. Experiments and computer simulations corroborate the calculations.

Pictured from left to right: Carrie Pinter, '03; Dan Lyons, '03; and Ann Randolph, '03, with two of the model trebuchets they constructed.

Download the students' trebuchet paper.
Download a brief treatment of trebuchet mechanics in the Introductory Mechanics Course.