PROJECT SUMMARY
Is there a machine or object that can be used to shoot an object from far away and with presicion?
I bult a catapult that was able to shoot objects pretty far away with a very good precision.
I looked for a youtube video to have some inspiration about how to build the base, built the overall structure of the catapult, and tried different variations in its structure until it was good enough.
In the end, a very good catapult had been built.
WHY?
I was at a friend's house and we were to play with water balloons. We were throwing each other balloons and then hid ourself from one another, so I had to ask myself the question, what is a way I can throw an object with both the strength to my friend and the precision to hit him instead of missing misserably. That's how I came up with the idea of making a catapult.
HOW?
The project was made out of wood, rubber bands, paper clips, and a lot of hot glue. It has an easy to use structure and has a relatively powerful shot.
WHAT?
In the end, I found out two things. The first thing is that the key to power, is the tension in the rubber band used to launch the object, and the second one is that the more consistent the movement of the part that launches the object. Also, you have to balance these two things out because too much power takes consitency away and vice-versa.
SO WHAT?
My result are impertant because now I have an efficient manner of throwing an object with power and precision. I learned from the results that sometimes, you have to take away something that initially one would think its beneficial, like power and consistency in this case, in order to balance something to make it work properly.
WHAT'S NEXT?
I believe that in this case, there is not really a way to extend this project that isn't starting from 0 again because there would be little changes if I were only to modify my project. I would start again and build a catapult again with different stronger materials, and more consistency in order to perfect the catapult. I would also need to find a way to have more tension in the launching device in order to give it more power.Â
LINK TO THE DESIGN:
REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Most of the ideas here are mine and are the things I understood from making the project. I did take a little inspiration from a youtube video whose link I'll put below. I would like to thank my friends, F. L., N. N., and F. G. for helping me in the building process of the catapult.
JUDGES FEEDBACK
This is a very nice prototype of a catapult and it seems like you spent some time trying to improve its design and ultimately effectiveness. It's also great to know that you learned something from a scientific perspective, such as where ultimately does the energy come from in a catapult and how can you add to it.