PROJECT SUMMARY

I built a catapult. The challenge I was presented with was to make a catapult that could launch a payload as far as it could. I did not want it to be too big, so I tried to make it as small as possible. I made it be able to launch as far as a big catapult because I put a lot of resistance on the arm, so when it is launched it snaps back rapidly.

WHY?

I did this project for engineering class. I was trying to answer the question of how can I make a small device that can launch with the same force as a big one?

HOW?

I cut up wood boards and glued them into a frame. I glued the wood frames on top of each other to make a sturdy arm. My prototype sketch showed an elastic that would pull on the board, so when it releases it would be strong.

WHAT?

I found out that the more resistance you put on the arm of the launching device, the farther it will launch when it releases.

SO WHAT?

This means that heavy machinery could be condensed down and we would use up less resources and take up less space.

WHAT'S NEXT?

I could have done it faster. it took me a long time to get it finished but the end product was good. the next steps are making more and even smaller. ones.

REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

N. was in my group and helped me.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

Your catapult design is very simple with minimalist materials- very cool. I enjoyed reading that your protype was able to launch as far as the larger catapults because of the resistance on the arm. It would be interesting to see the data of your trials and see how any changes to your design affected the distance.