Catapult Physics Essay Example For Students

Catapult Physics Essay A catapult is an ancient device used to launch heavy objects at targets during war. The catapult dates all the way back to 400 be when it was invented in the Greek town of Syracuse. The main types of catapults are Utrecht, mangoes, nonage and ballista. There are many more types of catapults also. Catapults were an absolute revelation in weaponry. The mangoes was best suited for launching projectiles at lower angles to the horizontal, which was useful for destroying walls, as opposed to the Utrecht, which was well suited for launching projectiles over walls. However, he mangoes is not as energy efficient as the Utrecht for the main reason that the arm reaches a high speed during the launch. This means that a large percentage of the stored energy goes into accelerating the arm, which is energy wasted. This is unavoidable however, since the payload can only be launched at high speed if the arm is rotating at high speed. The idea of a catapult came from the invention of the crossbow, which is significantly smaller but uses some of the very same aspects. Catapults where used to throw hot sand to get between the armor of the enemy knights also they were used to throw hot tar to attack there enemies. It was also used to launch infected bodies into enemy camps to spread disease. Although they are very hard to create, they use very simple forms of physics to complete their task of destruction. The catapult has a basket or cup on the end of a movable arm strong enough and large enough to hold the weight of the object it is intended to hurl. Tension is applied to the arm, whether that be applied by elasticity or Utrecht, which is forced down and then locked in place. People in ancient times used twisted ropes to create tension. Upon release, the arm rotates at a high speed and throws he object out of the bucket, towards the target. The launch velocity of the payload is equal to the velocity of the arm at the bucket end. The launch angle of the payload is controlled by stopping the arm using a crossbar. This crossbar is positioned to stop the arm at the desired angle, which results in the payload being launched out of the bucket at the desired launch angle. This crossbar can be padded to cushion the impact. Distance can be controlled with a tighter rope coil or increasing the amount of bungee cords. Things such as arm length and weight, or the aerodynamicists of the heron object, can also contribute importance towards the amount of distance traveled. However, the longer it takes the catapult to rise, the more velocity the object or projectile moves. The best angle to launch a projectile is a 45-degree angle because the projectile will move halfway between a horizontal and vertical motion, resulting in the best of both height and vertical speed. If a projectile is launched, a 90-degree it does not move horizontally, Just vertically, and a zero degree angle would result in the object Just rolling along the ground until gravity and friction brought it to a stop. Isaac Newtons statement that an object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This more commonly known as inertia. Inertia plays an important part in projectile motion because it explains why an object moves without a source of propulsion. In addition, a vector quantity is something that has both magnitude and direction. A good example is velocity, which has both speed and direction. The arm. Unlike a Utrecht, this mechanism is more direct. It consists of either a tension device or a torsion device, which is directly connected to the arm.