Jake Wheeler

Mr. Williams
STEM Period 6/7
November 14, 2017

Trebuchet Proof of Efficacy Document

Task:
Students were to construct a trebuchet to launch a clay projectile maximum
distance. The trebuchet must consist of at least two legs, an arm, a base on the ground,
and an axle. The trebuchet must be portable and reusable with no dimension exceeding
1 meter.
Design:
Our trebuchet had a flat base, two arms holding an axle, and an arm with a screw
to hold the projectile on a string. Our energy came from the 5 rubber bands.

Modifications:
After experimenting, we made 8 modifications to make our trebuchet more
successful. Our reasoning is shown below:

5 rubber bands:
More rubber bands causes more energy, but too much will make the projectile fall off
the string. 5 rubber bands is just the right amount.

Angle of nail:
We had a 60 degree angle from our nail to arm causing the release angle to be lower
resulting in longer distance.

Move rubber bands back:

Rubber bands further back will increase the distance stretched and will allow the arm
to move more easily in the circular motion.
Lower arm stopper:
A lower arm stopper will allow the arm to move further and release the projectile later
resulting in greater distance.

Rubber bands:
We used rubber bands rather than weight for a greater acceleration.

Height of arm:
The arm being higher up allows more distance after the base level.

Arm mechanical advantage:

Arm mechanical advantage did not matter because the same work was put into the
projectile.

Shape of projectile:
A ball shape will allow less air resistance which doesnt matter at short distances.

CLEAR Paragraph:
Rubber bands are more effective than weights when firing a trebuchet. Ryan, Kian, and I

experimented on whether rubber bands or weights were more effective while launching our

trebuchet. We recorded data on how far our projectile traveled depending on which firing force

we used. We also recorded a trial for both forces at the same time. When using a five pound

weight our projectile traveled 6 meters. When using two rubber bands the projectile traveled 7.5

meters. Out of those trials, two rubber bands were more effective than the five pound weight.

My group continued to test for more rubber bands to find the most effective amount that will

result in the furthest distance. Five rubber bands launched the projectile 22 meters, which was

the most distance we have ever launched the projectile. Five rubber bands and a weight

resulted in the projectile moving 17 meters. Having only rubber bands was the most effective

because a weight is a free-falling object meaning on Earth, it accelerates at 9.8m/s2. The rubber
bands applying tension force however can transfer energy faster causing the arm to accelerate

faster resulting in greater distance. Adding rubber bands also applies smaller increments of

force which makes balancing the right amount of force easier. Overall, rubber bands are the

most effective in firing a trebuchet.

Experiment data:

Time in air 1.4 seconds

Horizontal distance 22 meters or 72 feet

Vertical distance 9.6 meters or 31 feet

Horizontal velocity 15.7 meters/second or 35 mph

Vertical Velocity 13.72 meters/second or 30 mph

Total velocity 20.85 meters/second or 46.6 mph

Spring constant 490 Newtons/meter or 110 lbs

Initial spring potential energy 17.86 Joules or (490N/M)(0.833^2)

Kinetic energy of ball 2.17 Joules

Percent of energy converted 12% or 2.17J/17.86J

Mass of projectile 0.01 kilograms or 0.022 lbs

Advantages of our trebuchet:

Cheap and portable
Consistant
Isnt ugly