Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Catapult Project



Build a trebuchet that is capable of launching a large marshmallow from a distance of 3 to 5 meters, and hitting a target that is .30 m high +/- .10 m. You will have 5 trials to hit your target at each distance, and will be graded according to your building design, accuracy, and analysis.

Trebuchet Experiments (needs Java)


Rubric and Questions for Analysis
(Print this part of the blog post and complete individually)


# hits at 3 m __________   # hits at 4 m__________ # hits at 5 m__________

Now, determine the velocity of the object using a video that shoots a cross-view of the projectile's motion.  This video must be uploaded to marciarpowell@gmail.com  You must analyze the video using logger pro before doing the analysis below.


  1. Where is the biggest frictional issue in your machine?  Explain why this matters to the momentum of the mallow.
  2. Determine the maximum range for your trebuchet, t(calc), and the initial values of v(x) and v(y) including a diagram  using logger pro
  3. How could you determine F(net) of the mallow?
  4. How will the momentum of the projectile change if we use jawbreakers instead of marshmallows?  An orange?  Why?
  5. Pick a time frame for your catapult.   Determine the change in t, the acceleration due to gravity, and the distance traveled.  Based on this, calculate v(i) at the beginning of the interval and v(f) at the end of the interval in the x and the y directions.   Choose your interval carefully so you are not mixing y(up) and y(down)
  6. Write a three to five paragraph summary of how you would change the design if you built another machine, and what you have learned about physics.  Include the following terms:  potential energy, kinetic energy, frictional force, net force, acceleration of gravity, vector errors, kinematic equations, independent x and y motions.

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