Name: Delia Smith Date: 11/15/21

Student Exploration: Trebuchet

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: Define the following

Efficiency the state or quality of being efficient.

Work occurs when a force acts on an object

to move it some distance from the
start point.

Power the amount of energy transferred or

converted per unit time.

air resistance, counterweight, counterweight trebuchet, gravitational potential

energy, kinetic energy, launch angle, payload, projectile, siege engine, torque

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. During the Middle Ages, armies often attacked castles using large siege
engines such as the counterweight trebuchet at left. What challenges
might you face if you attacked a castle?

Some challenges that I could see would be the walls, possibly a moat,
tar, and the towers.

2. What are some ways to defend a castle against attack?

Building up high. Building a castle up high made it difficult for enemies to get to the castle.
Tall towers. Strong towers were added to curtain walls to watch out for enemies.
Battlements. Battlements were walls on the roof of a castle.

Gizmo Warm-up
A counterweight trebuchet acts like a giant see-saw. Hanging
from the “short arm” of the beam is a heavy counterweight.
From the “long arm,” a sling holds the payload, usually a
rock. In the Trebuchet Gizmo, you can design your own
trebuchet to attack a city or castle.

1. From the Tools menu, drag the Help icon over each red
dot on the trebuchet to see the name of the part. Use
letters to label each part on the diagram to the right.

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 A) Counterweight, B) payload, C) fulcrum, D) short arm, E) long arm, F) sling, G) prong

2. Click Launch test. Describe the motion of a trebuchet.

The counterweight goes up, then down, then launches the payload.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity A: ● Click Reset. On the DESIGN tab, check that the
Counterweight is 4500 kg, Payload is 160 kg,
Trebuchet design
Fulcrum is 9.0 m, Short arm is 3.0 m, Long arm
is 9.0 m, Sling is 5.0 m, and Prong angle is 40°.

Introduction: Once the payload is in the air, it is called a projectile. In this activity, you will see how each
dimension of the trebuchet affects the angle and speed of the projectile.

Question: How can you adjust the angle and speed of a projectile thrown by a trebuchet?

1. Test: Click Launch test. Look at the results displayed at lower right.

A. What is the initial angle of the launch. 4.96

degrees

The launch angle is measured from the horizon, as shown:

B. Which trebuchet dimensions do you think will have the biggest effect on the launch angle?

Answers will vary, long arm length, sling length, prong angle, etc.

2. Experiment: While keeping all of the other settings the same, experiment with different sling lengths. You
can change the sling length by dragging the bottom of the sling, or by entering the desired length in the
Sling length text box. For each sling length, click Launch test and record the launch angle and initial
speed of the projectile. Click Reset between each test.

Sling length 5.0 m 6.0 m 7.0 m 8.0 m 9.0 m

Launch angle 4.96 19.72 31.23 37.88 41.15
Initial speed 31.05 m/s 34.31 m/s 37.86 m/s 40.51 m/s 41.47 m/s

3. Analyze: How does increasing the sling length affect the launch angle and initial speed of the projectile?
Increasing the length of the sling will increase the amount of kinetic energy that is transferred to
the projectile, resulting in the speed getting faster and launch angle getting larger.

4. Experiment: You can change the angle of the prong by dragging its tip inside the circle or by entering the
desired angle in the Prong angle text box. Check that the Counterweight is 4500 kg, Payload is 160 kg,
Fulcrum is 9.0 m, Short arm is 3.0 m, Long arm is 9.0 m, and Sling length is 9.0 m. For each prong
angle, record the launch angle and initial speed.

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 Prong angle 0° 20° 40° 60° 80°
Launch angle 72.69 57.76 41.20 21.76 1.76
Initial speed 41.36 m/s 41.88 m/s 41.47 m/s 40.99 m/s 41.08 m/s

5. Analyze: How does increasing the prong angle affect the launch angle and initial speed of the projectile?
The higher the prong angle, the lower the launch angle speed is not affected very much at all;
similar, varies a little.

6. Compare: Moving the counterweight farther from the fulcrum will increase the torque, or rotational force,
on the beam of the trebuchet. However, it will also mean that the counterweight has to move farther to
move the long arm the same distance.

Set up the trebuchet using the measurements given with each table below. For each trebuchet, explore
different Short arm lengths and record the initial speed of the projectile.

Trebuchet 1
Counterweight = 4,000 kg, Payload = 200 kg, Fulcrum = 9.0 m, Long arm = 9.0 m,
Sling = 9.0 m, and Prong angle = 40°.
Short arm length 1.0 m 2.0 m 3.0 m 4.0 m 5.0 m 6.0 m
Initial speed 18.89 20.54 32.18 40.34 46.01 48.41

Trebuchet 2
Counterweight = 6,000 kg, Payload = 40 kg, Fulcrum = 9.0 m, Long arm = 9.0 m,
Sling = 9.0 m, and Prong angle = 40°.
Short arm length 1.0 m 2.0 m 3.0 m 4.0 m 5.0 m 6.0 m
Initial speed 42.49 75.96 87.55 86.81 78.11 67.54

7. Analyze: Compare Trebuchet 1 (T1) and Trebuchet 2 (T2).

A. How do the trebuchets differ? T1 had a lighter counterweight and

heavy payload had a heavy
counterweight and a lighter payload.

B. For Trebuchet 1, which short arm length produced the 6.0 m

greatest initial speed?

C. For Trebuchet 2, which short arm length produced the 3.0 m

greatest initial speed?

D. In general, what short arm length maximizes the initial The longest is best 6.0 m works very
speed when the payload is very heavy compared to the well if the payload is heavy.
counterweight?

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 E. How does the optimum short arm length change when shorter is better, 3.0 m works better
the payload is very light compared to the counterweight? when they payload is very light, a
shorter length works better.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Activity B:
● Select the LAUNCH tab.
Attack!
● Check that the Siege of Acre is selected.

Introduction: The Siege of Acre occurred during the Third Crusade. Acre, a port city north of Jerusalem, was
attacked by the combined armies of King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England. The crusaders used
trebuchets to breach the city walls, eventually leading to the city’s surrender in July, 1191.

Goal: Design trebuchets to breach the walls of Acre and Castle Stirling.

1. Observe: To breach the walls of Acre, your projectile has to hit the walls with enough force.

A. What is the distance from the trebuchet to the city walls? 111 meters

B. The projectile’s kinetic energy (KE) depends on its mass and speed, given by KE = m • v2.
How much kinetic energy is required to break through? 140 Kj

C. On the DESIGN tab, set Counterweight to 4500 kg, Payload to 160 kg, Fulcrum to 9.0 m, Short
arm to 3.0 m, Long arm to 9.0 m, Sling to 5.0 m, and Prong to 40°. On the LAUNCH tab, click
Play ( ). How far did the projectile fo, and what was its impact KE? 74.6 m with
impact
energy of
101.4 kJ.

2. Design: Click Reset ( ). Use what you have learned, as well as trial and error, to create a trebuchet that
can fling a projectile and break the city walls. Use the DESIGN tab to build your trebuchet, and then test
your design with the LAUNCH tab.

When you have created a successful trebuchet, click 📷

Screen shot on the Tools menu to take a
snapshot. Right-click the image, choose Copy, and then paste the image into the space provided below.
Record the dimensions of your trebuchet below.

Counterweight: 4500 kg Fulcrum height: 9.0 m Long arm length: 9.0 m

Payload: 160 kg Short arm length: 5.0 m Sling length: 7.0 m Prong angle: 40
degr

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 ees

a 3,500 counterweight that can still break the walls of Acre? If so, take a
image into the space provided below. Record the dimensions below.
📷
3. Challenge: Suppose King Philip could only build a 3,500-kg counterweight. Can you create a trebuchet with
screenshot, and then paste the

Counterweight: 3500 kg Fulcrum height: 9.0 m Long arm length: 9.0 m

Payload: 250 kg Short arm length: 5.0 m Sling length: 7.0 Prong angle: 40
m degre
es

4. Observe: Click Reset. On the LAUNCH tab, select Stirling Castle. In 1304, King Edward I of England
ordered the construction of the world’s largest trebuchet, dubbed the Warwolf, to attack Stirling Castle in
Scotland. Although the Scots tried to surrender before the trebuchet was finished, Edward refused to
accept their surrender until after the power of the mighty Warwolf had been demonstrated, and part of the
castle was demolished anyway.
A. What is the distance from the trebuchet to the castle walls? 244 meters

B. How much kinetic energy is required to break through? 100 kJ

created a successful trebuchet, take a 📷

5. Design: Create a trebuchet that can fling a projectile and break the walls of Stirling Castle. When you have
screenshot of the destroyed castle and paste the image into the
space provided below. Record the dimensions of your trebuchet below.

Counterweight: 4500 kg Fulcrum height: 10.0 m Long arm length: 9.0 m

Payload: 120 Short arm length: 5.0 m Sling length: 10.0 Prong angle: 10
kg m degre
es

6. Challenge: The Warwolf hurled rocks as heavy as 160 kg at the castle walls. See if you can create a
trebuchet that can hit Stirling Castle with a 160-kg projectile. If you succeed, paste a
space provided below. and record the dimensions below.
screenshot into the 📷
Counterweight: 5000 kg Fulcrum height: 12.0 m Long arm length: 11.0 m

Payload: 160 Short arm length: 6.0 m Sling length: 12.0 Prong angle: 7
kg degre
es

7. Explore: Today, hobbyists build trebuchets for fun and competition. At the annual “Punkin Chunkin” contest,
modern trebuchets have hurled pumpkins over 800 meters!

payload as far as possible. Take a 📷

On the LAUNCH tab, select Distance contest. Turn on Show grid. Try to build a trebuchet to hurl the
screenshot of your longest launch, paste it into the space below, and
record the trebuchet dimensions. If possible, compare your results to those of your classmates.

Counterweight: 6000 kg Fulcrum height: 12.0 m Long arm length: 10.0 m

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 Payload: 40 kg Short arm length: 3.0 m Sling length: 12.0 Prong angle: 3
m degre
es

8. Summarize: What are the characteristics of trebuchets that can hurl objects the farthest?

Counterweight needs to be heavy, payload needs to be as light as possible, fulcrum and

arm greatest length, short arm must be shorter is comparison, and lower launch angle, all
with minor adjustments.

Get the Gizmo ready:

Extension:
● On the DESIGN tab, set the Counterweight to
Trebuchet 4500 kg, Payload to 160 kg, Fulcrum to 9.0 m,
analysis Short arm to 3.0 m, Long arm to 9.0 m, Sling to
5.0 m, and Prong angle to 40°.

Introduction: Before the trebuchet launches a projectile, the long arm must be pulled down, which raises the
counterweight. This stores gravitational potential energy in the counterweight. When the trebuchet is fired,
this potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as the counterweight moves down and the long arm, sling,
and projectile start to rotate.

Question: How is energy converted from one form to another in a trebuchet?

1. Estimate: An object’s gravitational potential energy (GPE), measured in joules (J), is given by the formula
GPE = mgh, where m is mass, g is gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/s2 at Earth’s surface), and h is height.
To convert to kilojoules (kJ), divide the result by 1,000.

A. Click Launch test. Because the counterweight is nearly directly above the fulcrum, its starting
height is estimated by adding the short arm length to the fulcrum height.

What is the approximate initial height of the counterweight? 12.0 m

B. In kJ, what is the approximate initial potential energy of the counterweight? 592.2 kJ

C. When the projectile is launched, the counterweight is almost directly below the fulcrum.

What is the approximate final height of the counterweight? 6.0 m

D. In kJ, what is the approximate final potential energy of the counterweight? 264.6 kJ

E. What is the change in potential energy for the counterweight? 264.6 kJ

2. KE = m • v2, where v is speed. Remember to divide by 1,000 to convert to kilojoules.

A. When it is released, the projectile is nearly directly above the fulcrum. Its height is equal to the
height of the fulcrum plus the length of the long arm and the sling length.
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 What is the approximate height of the projectile when it is released? 23.0 m

B. What is the estimated gravitational potential energy of the projectile, in kJ? 36.1 kJ

C. Look at the initial speed. What is the kinetic energy of the projectile, in kJ? 77.2 kJ

D. What is the estimated total energy (GPE + KE) of the projectile, in kJ? 113.3 kJ

3. Compare: Compare the change in gravitational potential energy in the counterweight to the total energy of
the projectile when it is launched.

A. What percentage of the energy change of the counterweight was converted into projectile energy?
43 %

This value is the efficiency of the trebuchet.

B. Where do you think the rest of the counterweight potential energy was expressed? (Hint: Do any
other parts of the trebuchet have kinetic energy?)

sling whipping around, swaying of counterweight, friction at various points.

4. Evaluate: Select the LAUNCH tab and the Siege of Acre. In the second menu, select Atmosphere: None.
This removes the effects of air resistance on the projectile. Click Play.

A. What was the total energy of the projectile the moment it was fired? 113.3 kJ

B. What was the impact speed of the projectile? 37.6 kJ

C. What was the impact kinetic energy of the projectile? 113.1 kJ

D. How does the impact KE compare to the initial energy of the projectile? 0.2 kJ difference

E. Click Reset, and select Atmosphere: Air. Click Play. How much energy did the projectile lose
due to air resistance? 113.3 kJ - 101.6 kJ= 11.7 kJ

5. Apply: On the DESIGN tab, set the Counterweight to 5,000 kg, Payload to 80 kg, Fulcrum to 9.0 m,
Short arm to 3.0 m, Long arm to 9.0 m, Sling to 9.0 m, and Prong angle to 30°. On the LAUNCH tab,
select Stirling Castle and Atmosphere: None. Click Play.

A. Based on the initial speed, what was the projectile’s initial kinetic energy? 162.8 kJ

B. The height of the projectile at launch was approximately 25 m. What was the 19.6 kJ
initial gravitational potential energy of the projectile at launch?

C. Given the impact height, what was the potential energy at impact? 42.6 kJ

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D. What was the kinetic energy at impact? 140.3 kJ

E. How does the total energy at impact compare to the total energy at launch? initial- 162.8 kJ +
19.6 kJ = 182.4 kJ
impact- 140.3 kJ +
42.6 kJ = 182.9 kJ

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