Our firsts project in Physics this year was the Trebuchet Project. In this project, we were given the task of designing and constructing a trebuchet, which is a medieval siege weapon. To begin this project, we first learned about velocity, acceleration, potential and kinetic energy, and projectile motion. We then applied this knowledge to building both a model trebuchet and then our final ones which had a base of about 4 ft by 4ft. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate our knowledge of projectile motion and use that to achieve maximum launch distance.
To achieve maximum launch distance with a counterweight trebuchet, it is important to pay attention to ratios. The most important ones are length ratios for the arm and base and weight ratios for the projectile to counterweight. If these ratios are correct, it will increase the potential energy of your trebuchet which will then be translated into kinetic energy and launch your projectile.
Potential energy is the energy stored right before something moves. In a trebuchet, potential energy is stored in the counterweight, the the further it is from the ground, the more potential energy it has because it has more space to fall and accelerate. Maximizing the potential energy of your trebuchet (mass of counterweight and height of your base) then makes if possible for you to achieve maximum kinetic energy. To maximize your kinetic energy, you increase your mass and velocity. All of these factors combined will make if possible for your trebuchet to launch as far as possible.
Throughout this project, there were a lot of challenges that I faced in my group. This was a type of project that I haven’t really experienced before that that made me realize that this project would take a lot more effort in order to succeed. One thing that went well in my group was coming up with creative designs that seemed plausible. When we actually had to decide on one sketch however, we had a little difficulty deciding which would be the bests design.
Once we started building, we had to use a lot of communication so that all of us could stay on the same page. Collaborating and working together made it possible for us to create a trebuchet that we could all be proud of. This project really showed me that, even if a project is really challenging or the group dynamics are hard, using communication and working together is key to success. It also showed me that, even if working in a group is hard, it can be helpful because there are so many more creative ideas, perspectives, and ways to think critically about a problem.
Something that was challenging to me during this project was staying on the same page as my group. In the beginning we all had different ideas on how we should start constructing our trebuchets and we were not communicating with everyone that well. We finally all decided on one sketch and it was much easier to get the project done. This showed all of us that, to have a successful project, it is important to communicate and makes sure that everyone is on the same page.
One strength that I brought to my group was refinement . I think that it is really important to use refinement in projects so that they can succeed. Once we had gotten our trebuchet all assembled, it worked, but we knew that it could be even better. We brainstormed different ways to maximize the distance of our launch and refined our trebuchet so that I worked even better. One thing that I thought would make it better was to add in more supports so that it was more stable, and it turned out that it really helped us achieve success in launching our projectile.