The Catapult

A catapult is any one of a number of non-handheld mechanical devices used to throw a projectile a great distance without the use of explosives.

These were particularly used in the Medieval times and Ancient Greece.

These use a number of studies such as physics, engineering, math, and history.

The Catapult

Modern day catapult

The Trebuchet

The trebuchet, or trebucket, is a siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them.

This is called the “counterweight trebuchet” to distinguish it from the “traction trebuchet”, an earlier version pulling men instead of counterweights.

The Trebuchet

This device works using the mechanical advantage principle of leverage to propel a stone or other object much farther and more accurately than the catapult.

The sling and the arm swing up to a vertical position, where one end of the string releases, propelling the object towards the target with great force.

The Trebuchet

Modern day trebuchet

The Torsion Catapult

This catapult uses rope strung into tight coils as a power source. One benefit of the string power source was that you could make this rope relatively large and tight, allowing the device to throw objects much farther than those of a catapult.

The Torsion Catapult

This catapult consists of a winch, one or two throwing arms, wooden washers, a stand or a base, and the rope string.

The torsion catapult was very easy to produce, however, many problems came with the use of string. It was very hard to make the same tension every time, and if the string became wet, the catapult was useless.

The Torsion Catapult

Diagram of the torsion catapult

The Ballista Catapult

Ballista catapults are known for their ability to strike fear into the opposing armies, not because of their accuracy, but for their ability to reach an enemy camp well in advance of the warriors who fired them.

This model also capitalizes on the theory of the crossbow, meaning they focused on the idea that firing an object at a force greater than the human arm creates a longer throwing distance and greater speed.

The Ballista Catapult Picture of a ballista catapult