Jessie Potter

Projectile Motion: Catapults

Honors Conceptual Physics Period 7
November 10, 2015

Recently for physics class, we built working catapults that had to launch a marshmallow five
meters. The objective for this project was for us to put what we were learning into action. We
were studying equations for projectile motion, and our catapults were perfect examples of these
problems. We also applied the laws of physics while building our catapults. Lastly, the physics
concepts and equations I used while operating my catapult were the laws of physics and
kinematic equations.
The earliest records of catapults were in China around 3rd and 4th century BC. They stood around
eight feet tall and were built basically like an oversized crossbow. Over time, these crossbows
got larger and larger. Eventually, they went from being hand-held weapons to something called a
stand crossbow, where it was large enough that it had to be mounted on a stand. Later on,
catapults were used to launch missiles at soldiers and the first acts of biological warfare involved
catapults.
The design for my catapult consisted of a small pole and a board with an oval hole in the center.
The pole was placed in the hole and then a nail was nailed through the board and the pole
loosely. Since the nail was loose, this allowed to the pole to pivot and launch the marshmallow. A
rubber band was then attached to the top of the pole and the bottom of the board, adding the
resistance. I also realized that the catapult needed more elevation and I had to add another board

under the board with the hole, making the trajectory of the launched marshmallow more vertical,
rather than solely horizontal. I chose this design because I believed this would work the best and
launch the marshmallow most accurately.
Distance
5.34 meters
7.8 meters
7.8 meters

Time
.65 seconds
.64 seconds
.61 seconds

Vx0
8.2 m/s
12.9 m/s
12.8 m/s

Vy0
3.24 m/s
3.14 m/s
3.04 m/s

V0
8.8 m/s
13.3 m/s
13.2 m/s

My average velocity of the projectile was 11.77 meters per second. I found my initial velocity in
the X direction by dividing distance over time. Next I found my initial velocity in the Y
direction. I did this using the kinematic equation Vyo = Vyo + Ayt. My final velocity was zero and
my acceleration was gravity, or -9.8 meters per second. I also split my time in half to solve the
equation. Finally I found my velocity by squaring the values of Vxo and Vyo, adding them
together, and then finding the square root of the added value.
When first testing my catapult, it definitely did not shoot five meters. I had to add more rubber
bands to create more resistance, but soon the rubber bands started to break. I learned that the
rubber bands were rubbing up against the wood and that friction was causing them to snap. To
solve this problem, I had to tape the edge of the wood to eliminate the sharp edges. In the end
though, I might have added too many rubber bands and caused too much resistance because the
marshmallow went over the five meter mark and hit the table at about 5.3 meters.
In this project, we expanded our depth of knowledge into equations of projectile motion and we
learned more about the laws of physics. We also learned how to construct a working device
through trial and error. Lastly, one real-life example of a projectile whose landing spot must be
predicted is a served volleyball. The volleyball court is split into six zones, or areas, and often

coaches will tell you exactly what zone they want you to serve to. Another example would be
hitting a golf ball, as you want to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. Both of these
require knowledge of the principle of velocity.