Catapulting though Time & Physics Essay example -- Essays Papers

Catapulting though Time & PhysicsHurling an object towards mavins enemy may seem as old as time itself. People befool hurled fists at each other, thrown spears, and launched colossus rocks into enemy territory. The use of catapults, and other objects that hurl projectiles, also seem as old as human civilization itself. The effectiveness of the catapult in flinging objects over a great distance and causing destruction is delinquent to a few basic physics principals that govern force, energy, motion, speed and concourse to name a few. The intent of the catapult denotes a change in modern warfargon to the engineer behind weapons being just as important as the actual soldiers and people who use them. Projectile-throwing machines be comprise in three main categories the catapult, the arbalest, and the trebuchet (How binge Works). The catapult has a lever arm attached to a bucket that is usually pulled fanny by rope and the projectile is released when the rope is cut (How Stuff Works). The ballista is basically a giant crossbow and the trebuchet is similar to the catapult besides is a weighted beam with a sling carrying the projectile (How Stuff Works). In this examination, we will mainly be discussing the design of the catapult and trebuchet. Catapults have been traced back to many different civilizations throughout history, but its modern origins are usually attributed to the Greeks and the ancient scientist Archimedes who designed them (Paul 58). We know that in 339 A.D. Dionysius ordered their design in Syracus (Hansen), but their history goes back even further. The first put down description of the catapult found in the Bible 2,800 years agone (Paul 58). One passage gives the following description of a ruler of the demesne of Judah And i... ...nd projectile motion among others. Even though the catapult and its physics are ancient, it has changed the way warfare is waged in the present. Works Cited Hansen, Peter V. War Engines of the philia Age s. The Medieval Center Seige Engines. 1998. 2 Nov. 2005 <http//www.middelaldercentret.dk/warengines.htm. Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics tenth Edition. 10th ed. San Francisco Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006. How Does a Catapult Work? How Stuff Works. 2 Nov. 2005 <http//science.howstuffworks.com/question127.htm. chemical mechanism of a Simple Trebuchet. 2 Nov. 2005 <http//www.angelfire.com/in3/trebuchet/physics/mechanicsandoptimization.doc. Paul, Jim. Catapult elicit and I Build a Seige Weapon. New York Villard Books, 1991. 54-62. Vogel, Steven. Cats Paws and Catapults. New York, London W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998.