We were also greatly helped by a website that we found about trebuchets: http://www.stormthecastle.com/trebuchet/how-to-make-a-trebuchet-out-of-popsicle-sticks.htm. Consequently, their skills are in demand to design millions of different products in almost every type of industry. Even then, you may want to attach a carabiner or split ring to the counterweight eye hook. The Science Buddies activity Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult shows you how to build a miniature catapult out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Glue them together and repeat with the other pieces. Word Document File. My passion is physics and mechanics and I want to be a Mechanical Engineer in the future. Any sort of Projectile (I used polo :P) 9. The V notches that you cut help to keep the rubber band in place. Catapult or trebuchet shows creativity and launches a large marshmallow. When the counterweight falls, it will drag the eraser along the ground and then pull it up into the air. Simply pull down the arm Then let go! Jan 17, 2017 - a complete tutorial on how to make a small trebuchet out of popsicle sticks. Actually anything in the field of engineering would do. Glue the pieces together as shown in the picture, forming an A shape with a small notch at the top. Observations and results (This distance is something you can try adjusting later.). Step 7: Make sure your trebuchet is sturdy and the frame holds together. Popsicle Stick Catapult Ideas for Kids STEM Activity. Build a miniature trebuchet catapult perfect for school science project because this activity offers a great visual demonstration on how it works. They can use a counterweight to launch a 90 kg projectile over 300 meters. I don't think you should use this website to get follows from people, this is about education. Simple Homemade Popsicle Stick Catapult for Kids Science. A trebuchet has a lever arm with a large, heavy counterweight on one end and a smaller projectile on the other end. Use your scissors to add small pieces of wood from the Popsicle stick to fortify the throwing arm. DIY Mini Drone Part 3: Arduino Altitude Control, How to Make an Archimedes Screw - STEM Activity. It will act as a counter weight carrier. 10 years ago Then the counterweight is allowed to fall, rotating the lever arm and converting that potential into kinetic energy in the projectile, which is flung through the air. I'll try to remember to take a video tomorrow. When the counterweight falls, it will drag the eraser along the ground and then pull it up into the air. Any sort of counterweight. Double-Sided Tape Create your free account or Sign in to continue. Popsicle Stick Crafts. How to Make a Trebuchet. (We do not recommend using glue for this stepthat way you can remove the crossbar and swap out the arm to make changes.). You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/pencil-trebuchet. This hands-on catapult building activity can be modified in a million ways and tested with different projectiles for distance and weight! Active Time 15 minutes. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". A trebuchet is a siege engine that was used in the Middle Ages to fling projectile ofup to140 pounds at enemy structures.Please Rate this Instructable and follow me for more cool step by step guides. The eye hook for the sling will go on the end furthest from where you drilled the holes. Many medieval trebuchets were larger and could hurl projectiles even farther than catapults. You can make a wooden trebuchet with a base about 12 inches (30 cm) and a swing arm of about 16 inches (40 cm) or a smaller and lighter model out of popsicle sticks. Pinterest. Using a counterweight as the key source of power, the machine transfers gravitational energy into kinetic energy. 6. What happens if you make the sling longer or shorter? You should be able to tinker with your design a bit (see recommendations at the end of the procedure) to get your eraser to launch. 8 years ago Handout is turned in on time and completed. Build a DIY Potato Cannon: PVC Spud Gun Instructions. This will leave a small notch for the pencil to rest in later. If you plan to use your trebuchet outdoors, you'll want to make a larger trebuchet. We were helped by other students as we have said in previous posts. (I used coins - See step 10 on how to make a counter weight) 9. Reinforce the connections with glue, tape and some extra popsicle stick pieces if necessary so they remain standing on their own. Your swing arm should be 1 and 1/3 times the length of the base. Learn more A trebuchet (pronounced TREB-you-shay) is a medieval English siege engine or catapult that consists of a large arm mounted on a cart or stand. When drilling holes through the swing arm, use the bit the next diameter larger than that of the axle or possibly even 2 sizes larger. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. (This distance is something you can try adjusting later.). You can modify your design based on your own ideas and the materials you have available. Physics Store. Find stories about SWE members, engineering, technology, and other STEM related topics. Build the base of the trebuchet using Popsicle sticks and stick them to each other using super glue as shown. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". When the counterweight is raised up, it has lots of gravitational potential energy. Close the zip loc and punch a hole on top. I love how you did this with popsicle sticks! What happens when you let the eraser go? Slide the pencil into the milk shake straw. When you decide what to use as your axle, measure its diameter. Punch a hole in this stick. Never aim projectiles at people or animals. 4. Some trebuchets feature a trough underneath the swing arm to rest the sling on when loading the projectile into it and help guide the projectile during launch. All rights reserved. The straw and pencil form a pivot and should allow the arm to rotate. When the counterweight is raised up, it has lots of gravitational potential energy. Then Do the same for the right and left sides. What happens if you bend the paper clip so it is straighter or more curved or if it is cut to be shorter? Surprisingly, with easy supplies and instructions we can make these most useful trebuchets at your home or school. Watch. :) If you liked this Instructable, please follow me. Carefully cut slots in your piece of corrugated cardboard that will allow your A-frame pieces to stand up straight, a few inches apart from each other. Remove the eraser from the pencil and attach it to a small loop of string. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Welcome to Storm the Castle! Remove the eraser from the pencil and attach it to a small loop of string. 7. If you plan to use your trebuchet outdoors, you'll want to make a larger trebuchet. The tuning section gave us a ton of advice on how to fix problems and adjust our range. We used a rock as our counterweight. The Bring Science Home activity Build a Catapult showed you how to build a miniature catapult out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Carefully cut slots in your piece of corrugated cardboard that will allow your A-frame pieces to stand up straight, a few inches apart from each other. % of people told us that this article helped them. A well-built trebuchet should be able to hurl an eraser a few feet. Heather Sheridan P.E., PMP is a Civil Engineer and Project Manager at Black & Veatch in the Hydropower Department. Attach a posicle stick across the two sticks fanning out. Use only soft projectiles for an indoor trebuchet, and for an outdoor trebuchet, make sure to have a wide open space in front of the siege engine. on Introduction. Reply I went on the wrong note last time. The height of your trebuchet can be no more than 1.2 m tall (about 4 ft.). Then, making sure no people, animals or breakable objects are nearby, let go. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Now we are all done with our project. Place a projectile in the box and FIRE AWAY!! Introduction Try changing the length of the lever arm. Glue the pieces together as shown in the picture, forming an "A" shape with a small notch at the top. Try rotating the arm with your hand. You probably know what a catapult is. The base of your trebuchet can be no more than 1 m x 1 m (about 3 ft. x 3 ft.). What happens if you bend the paper clip so it is straighter or more curved or if it is cut to be shorter? How far can it launch a 90 kg stone projectile? Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult: build and experiment with a simple catapult made from wooden sticks and rubber bands to explore the physics at work in a catapult. This will act as the throwing arm of the trebuchet. Today, we practiced and then did our final assessment. In the Middle Ages armies would use them to hurl stones at castle walls. Pumpkin chunkin' involves tossing pumpkins with a simple trebuchet made out of paper and household materials. You can modify your design based on your own ideas and the materials you have available. What impact do you think the weight of the counterweight will have on your projectile? Glue them firmly and wait till they dry. Twist an elastic band around each end to hold them in place. The tuning section gave us a ton of advice on how to fix problems and adjust our range. A trebuchet uses a sling and has a counter-weight which, as it is dropped, forces the long arm up to pull the sling and the projectile along a slide at the base. For example, you could decide to build the entire frame out of pencils instead of popsicle sticks and you can choose whether you want to use tape, glue, or rubber bands to secure the different joints. $2.00. Slide the pencil into the milk shake straw. There is a pin to hold it in place, and it's attached to a string you pull to launch the trebuchet. Tape the popsicle sticks together using masking tape. Here is a Simple Way to Build a Trebuchet. You should be able to tinker with your design a bit to get your eraser to launch. Heather has a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis with a focus on hydraulic structures and environmental design. :) The counterweight and the projectile are provided at the competition site, and the trebuchet team is given time to adjust the placement of their machine for distance and accuracy. Materials: 3/4" plywood, 2' of 5/8" threaded But did you know about an even bigger type of medieval siege weapon called a trebuchet? A trebuchet is a device used in the Middle Ages to launch very heavy objects at opponents during battle. The notches should be wide enough to slide in a piece of string. Hang the eraser from the paper clip hook. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. And let it dry for a while to strengthen the structure. The trebuchet had been at the pinnacle of siege technology in the Middle Ages. Tie an elastic band around the middle of the cross. Step 1 Place two popsicle sticks together, end-to-end. Reinforce the connections with glue/tape and some extra popsicle stick pieces if necessary so they remain standing on their own. Glue one popsicle stick to one of the points of the triangle and glue the other end to where it bisects the opposing side. Creativity in fantasy, how to write, make video games, play classical guitar and do creative things. It is a kind of modified, huge catapult mounted Make a Trebuchet in 2 hours Make Make DIY https://youtube.com/watch?v=dT_C-0IXDZg Build a Mini Trebuchet Scientific American This is a mini trebuchet. ), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksG87OUZOkA. What happens if you make the sling longer or shorter? This can adjusted based on any available cardboard box. Effect of Trebuchet Arm Length or Counterweight Mass on Projectile Distance, from Science Buddies Try this project to build a miniature version! Whatever you decide you want to launch with your trebuchet, your counterweight should be from 100 to 133 times the weight of your projectile. Under Siege! You can Also, stand or sit to the side when launching projectiles with it. Place a third popsicle stick on top of the first two, laying it over the middle where they meet. Depending on exactly how you built your trebuchet, the results you see will vary. You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. Super Glue 3. Try using lighter (or heavier) batteries. Start out by building the two side A-frame pieces. Video of the Day Step 2 Tape three tripled popsicle sets together at the ends. Difficulty Medium. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Built with Popsicle sticks, a binder clip, bottle cap and hot glue, this DIY Catapult will shoot distances of around 20 feet! If you prefer, you can design the support braces to look like isosceles triangles so that they will slope on both sides of the uprights when assembled. Does it fail to release at all? When you release the eraser, the battery falls and its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy of the eraser. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. cardboard box. Thanks.". Step 1: Parts of the Walking Arm Trebuchet These diagrams show the names I will be using for the trebuchet parts in the following steps. These can be 1/2 the length of either the uprights or of the long base pieces. Your hands! 10. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. What if you glue multiple popsicle sticks together to make a longer arm? 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