Trebuchet

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.

• 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.

1. 1Explain how a trebuchet changes the energy of a falling weight into projectile motion.
2. 2Investigate how counterweight and arm ratio affect release speed.
3. 3Find the release angle that gives the greatest range.
4. 4Describe the path of a projectile after release.

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