Play Catapult

Lego projects are great for adults and children alike and setting out to build a Lego catapult is a great way to put your imagination to work. Legos are inexpensive, readily available and can be used to create any size and shape catapult you wish to build.

Instructions

1 Build the working portion of your catapult by using 2 Lego wheels with the rubber removed. Fashion the wheels just ahead of the catapult's anchoring wall and build the catapults all around the wheels hub piece. The arm must be able to withstand considerable pressure without falling apart. Secure a rubber band over the wheels and around the anchoring wall.
2 Fasten the catapult to a heavy Lego base with enough structure and weight to keep it from moving when fired. The mechanism can mount on a ship, rolling cart or any other item you can imagine. The key here is to create a stable base for your siege engine.
3 Fire your catapult by pulling down on the end of the catapult's arm and releasing it quickly.
4 Experiment with different objects, varying weight and shape until you find the object that goes farthest. Add additional rubber bands to extend your distance and weight capabilities. With a little practice and a few friends, you can lead the Lego rebellion to victory in your own living room.

Catapults were used to tear down castle walls in the middle ages. Create your own mini-version of a catapult and shoot things far into the distance. Make your own catapult with a 50-yard range and build your own homemade "medieval rocket launcher," although not as dangerous. Make one from bits and bobs you find around the house. Once you build a catapult that shoots 50 yards, pick up a ping pong ball and aim, set, fire!

Instructions

1 Take the 6-inch wooden block and lie it on a flat surface.
2 Glue a clothes pin to the wooden block. Center it lengthwise.
3 Attach the bottle lid to the end of the Popsicle stick. Leave enough space to push it down before firing your catapult.
4 Place a ping pong ball on top of your bottle lid and test your catapult. Measure the distance it fires. It should reach up to 50 yards but, if not, find a large clothes peg and a separate spring to attach underneath to create more elasticity.
5 Paint your catapult.

What is a Trebuchet?

A trebuchet is a machine used during medieval times to propel heavy objects vast distances. They were primarily used to bring down castle walls during a siege. The trebuchet is powered by gravity and centrifugal forces from two axes. This made it an intimidating battlefield weapon during the Middle Ages.

Design of a Trebuchet

A trebuchet consists of a long beam attached to a pivot rod on a heavy frame. The beam is fitted into a guide chute to make sure the beam moves in a straight line. There is a counterweight on one end of the beam and a sling attached to the other. A heavy object, usually a rock, is placed in the sling, which is then closed and secured to a release pin on the beam. Once the trebuchet is pointed toward the target, it is ready to fire.

Firing a Trebuchet

The counterweight is dropped, swinging the beam toward the target. The sling, with the rock in it, is whipped skyward and forward. When the counterweight hits the bottom, the beam stops moving. The sling keeps moving skyward and forward. It swings the rock forward on a second axis multiplying the centrifugal force. When the rock approaches the apex of arc, the release pin is triggered. This lets go of one end of the sling, allowing the rock to fly free.

Impact of a Trebuchet

The rock is now flying toward the target with tremendous force and speed. A typical medieval trebuchet could hurl a 300-lb rock 300 yards. A series of these projectiles could bring down even the most fortified castle walls and crush any soldiers in the way. Trebuchets were more accurate than other catapults of the Middle Ages. The projectile flies somewhat straight because the beam travels through a guide chute. If the position of the trebuchet and mass of the projectile remain constant, the point of impact can be predicted with reasonable accuracy.

Things Trebuchets Throw

In addition to heavy rocks, trebuchets were used to toss dead people and animals into castle grounds in an effort to spread disease. There are also stories of using decapitated enemy heads to reduce enemy morale and beehives to sting the opposition into submission. Flaming oil was also propelled by trebuchets to ignite wooden buildings within the castle grounds.

A catapult is a type of siege weapon that was used to attack castles in medieval times. This type of device requires stored energy to propel an object into the air. An example of stored energy is a spring. Demonstrating how a catapult works is done by making a working model. You can make your paper clip catapult based on the principles of a simple spring.

Instructions

1 Bend the small inner loop of the paper clip up to make a 45-degree angle. You can do this by hand or by using a pair of pliers.
2 Place the large loop of the paper clip on the 2-by-4-inch block of wood. Secure the paper clip onto the wood with staples using the staple gun. If a staple gun is not available, use strips of duct tape.
3 Set the paper clip catapult on a flat surface. Pull back on the small loop with your finger. Place a cotton ball on top of the paper clip.
4 Release the paper clip to propel the cotton ball into the air. Measure the distance the cotton ball traveled with the measuring tape.
5 Repeat this process to construct additional paper clip catapults.

In "The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon" the Dark Master, Malefor, threatens to destroy the world with a sea of blazing fire. Spyro and his companions vow to stop him, but Malefor's forces are numerous. Spyro retreats to the ancient Dragon City, where the citizens do all they can to hold off the impending attack. Several Siege Towers arrive in front of the city, each shooting flaming boulders that rip the dragon's home to shreds. You must destroy the Siege Towers as the Dragon City citizens find a way to escape.

Instructions

1 Fill your magic meter by attacking the large green crystal as soon as the battle begins. Small grublins start attacking your catapult; kill all of them.
2 Look at the damage meter on the screen. When it fills up, the catapult has taken too much damage. Go to the side of the catapult to repair it. If you do not repair it in time, it blows up and you must restart the battle.
3 Run behind the catapult when its occupant, a mole, asks for more ammunition. Pull the lever to drop ammunition to the mole.
4 Run to the right side of the wall. A Siege Tower has advanced to the city wall. Destroy the purple crystal on the Siege Tower. The mole is knocked out of the catapult, and he asks you to help him get back on it.
5 Go to the left side of the wall and walk next to the mole. When enemies appear, the mole stops walking. Kill them all to make the mole walk again. If you see the catapult damage meter filling up, leave the mole and go repair it.
6 Pull the lever to reload the catapult when the mole reaches it. Keep the enemies away from the catapult until another Siege Tower appears to the left.
7 Go to the left and destroy the purple crystal on the Siege Tower. Reload the catapult. The mole destroys the final Siege Tower, ending the battle.

Catapults are well-known to most people, maintaining their fame mostly through movies, history books and video games. Although their uses are relatively more benign today, they were once feared, serving as sophisticated weapons of war. Several examples of catapults can be found today, from military use to common backyard activities.

Slingshots

The basic premise behind all catapult types is turning potential energy into kinetic energy, using it to release an object. A toy for most kids -- and a weapon for some hunters -- exists in a common slingshot, which is also a miniature catapult. Slingshots usually use a stretchable plastic material, which connects to two crossbars. The user places a projectile within the center of the stretchy piece, stretches it, aims and fires.

Aircraft Carriers

An essential use of catapults still comes from the military -- specifically from Navy aircraft carriers. Each aircraft carrier contains four different catapults that are used to get planes up to high speeds to allow them to take off with extremely short runways. The catapult consists of two cylinders that contain pistons.

Clay Shooting

Clay-shooting offers many advantages. It allows hunters to shoot at a target without actually shooting anything that's alive, it provides an opportunity to practice at a rapid pace and it also allows a moving target. Clay shooting is exhibited in many competitions each year. It all stems from a simple catapult that closely resembles an ancient ballista catapult, shooting objects in a straight line into the air, usually at a 45-degree angle.

Other Catapults

Although ancient catapults don't exist today for practical purposes, many workable units still exist for museums or demonstrations. These include trebuchets, which are large launchers that use a heavy counterweight to launch objects; a mangonel, which contains four wheels and launches projectiles with an arc pattern; or a ballista, which shoots objects in a straight line.

The catapult is a machine used to hurl projectiles a great distance. A well-constructed catapult is an effective tool used to launch a variety of objects. Throughout history catapults were one of the most effective and powerful devices used in warfare. Today the art of designing and building catapults is a popular science project that demonstrates the laws of physics, projection and gravity. With a 2-foot long base and a 3-foot long throw arm, the outdoor catapult can launch objects 10 yards.

Instructions

Build the Framework

1 Put on the safety goggles. Lay the wood flat with the wider surface facing up. Make a mark 3 1/2-inches from the end of a 24-inch wood piece. This is the catapult's pivot hole. Drill a hole about 1-inch in diameter, wide enough for the broomstick to slide through it.
2 Make a mark at 5 1/2-inches and at 8-inches from the same end of the wood. Draw lines over your marks and across the top side of the wood. Draw two lines about 1/2-inch down each side of the wood and connect the parallel lines on either side, forming the outline of a rectangle.
3 Saw the parallel lines across the top of the wood. Chisel and hammer the lines along the sides of the wood. Remove the rectangular slot formed from the wood block.
4 Repeat Step 1 through Step 3 with the other 24-inch piece of wood.
5 Mark a line 2 1/2-inches from the end of a 14-inch wood piece. Saw over the marked line and half way down both sides of the wood. Continue to saw until you remove the 2 1/2-inch rectangle, leaving a hollowed out end at one side of the wood piece.
6 Repeat Step 5 for a second 14-inch piece. Cut out and remove only one end of each piece.
7 Fit the end of the 14-inch piece into the cut-out rectangle of the 24-inch piece to form a T shape. Align the sides of both pieces across the top of the T formation. Each piece should fit snugly.
8 Screw the two perpendicular pieces in place. One 14-inch piece of wood should still be left. Do not cut a rectangular slot into the third wood piece.
9 Place the two 24-inch pieces and the two 7 1/2-inch pieces on their sides, parallel to each other. Screw the corners of the two 24-inch pieces and the two 7 1/2-inch pieces together to form a rectangle. The cut out rectangles on the two 24-inch pieces should be aligned and face the outside of the rectangle, not the inside.
10 Screw one of the large eye hooks into the outside center of the 7 1/2-inch piece closest to the rectangular slots.
11 Screw the 10 1/2-inch long wood piece across the top of the two upright 14-inch pieces. Attach the piece to the side that is farthest from the metal hook.
12 Measure and draw lines along the ends of the remaining 14-inch wood piece by holding it against the backside of the horizontal 10 1/2-inch piece and the top of the 7 1/2-inch piece with the hook. Saw off the angled lines to form slants on both ends. Fit the custom cut piece over the center of the 7-inch wood piece and against the center of the back of the 10 1/2-inch piece.
13 Screw the cut wood into place to form an angle connecting the two horizontal pieces. This adds strength to the catapult.

Build and Install the Swing Arm

14 Drill a hole through the width of a 28-inch wood piece about 1/2-inch from the end of the wood. The diameter should be wide enough for the broomstick to slide through it. The 28-inch wood piece, or the swing arm, should fit loosely over the broomstick and rotate freely.
15 Find a small cardboard cup or cut down a plastic cup until it is two inches deep. Staple or glue the cup to the other end of the wood, opposite the side with the hole. The cup holds the projectile in place.
16 Screw the other large metal hook about 1-inch down from the cup into the center of the 28-inch long swing arm.
17 Slide the 12-inch long broomstick through each of the three holes previously drilled into the end of the catapult, the swing arm and the other end of the catapult. Drill a few screws into the long swing arm and the broomstick to hold it firmly in place.
18 Hook each end of a bungee cord to each of the metal hooks.