A cutaway engine cylinder shows the piston, valves and spark through the four strokes of the cycle. Students change engine speed and spark advance and watch the stroke, cycle angle, cylinder pressure and valve states update.
—
Trebuchet
About this simulation
This simulation shows how a medieval trebuchet turns the fall of a heavy counterweight into the speed of a small stone. Students set the counterweight, the arm ratio and the release angle, then press Fire and watch the arm swing and the stone follow a curved path. Readouts give the release speed, the range and the flight time. It brings together energy, projectile motion and levers in a historical setting, so it suits both history and physics lessons and encourages students to tune a design.
What students can explore
- Press Fire with the default settings and note Release speed, Range and Flight time.
- Increase Counterweight and fire again to see how the Range changes.
- Raise Arm ratio and compare the new Release speed with the old one.
- Try Release angle at 30, 45 and 60 degrees and find the one with the longest Range.
- Combine a heavy counterweight and a high ratio to find the longest throw you can.
Learning objectives
- 1Explain how a trebuchet changes the energy of a falling weight into projectile motion.
- 2Investigate how counterweight and arm ratio affect release speed.
- 3Find the release angle that gives the greatest range.
- 4Describe the path of a projectile after release.
Questions teachers ask
Is it free to use?
Yes. It is free and works in any modern browser, including whiteboards and tablets, with no sign-up.
How does a trebuchet work?
A heavy counterweight drops on the short end of a long arm. The long end swings fast and releases the stone, so a slow fall of a large mass becomes a fast throw of a small one.
Which release angle gives the longest range?
Ignoring air drag and height differences, about 45 degrees gives the longest range. Here the stone is released from above ground level, so the best angle can be slightly lower, which you can test yourself.
How do I use the trebuchet simulation?
Set Counterweight, Arm ratio and Release angle, then press Fire. Read Release speed, Range and Flight time and adjust to throw farther.
Embed this simulation
Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.
<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/trebuchet-3d-simulation/embed" title="Trebuchet | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
More interactive science models
A dam, penstock and turbine are shown in 3D. Students change the gate opening and the water level, called the head, and read the water flow, penstock water speed, electrical power and energy per day.
—
A 3D pocket cube with colored faces sits on screen. Students drag across a face to turn a layer, press Scramble to mix it, and try to solve it while the move counter and timer run.
—
Streaks of air flow around a curved wing in 3D while students change the angle of attack and airspeed. Readouts show lift, the lift coefficient, lift to drag ratio and whether the flow is normal or stalled.
—
A small neural network with three inputs, two hidden layers of five neurons and two outputs is drawn in 3D. Students move the input sliders and watch neuron colors, connection weights and the two outputs change.
—
Bring interactive science into your classroom
KiwiBee's free teacher workspace brings lesson planning, worksheets, classroom tools, and gradebook together in one place.
Start free and create your first class
Home
All solutions
Pricing
About us
KiwiBee for Non-profits
Events & webinars
For big organisations
For schools
For centers
For team leaders
For teachers
AI and resources
Resources
Printable worksheets
Lesson Packs
Interactive simulations
Teacher tools
AI studio
Ideas and research