How Trebuchets Work

Why would they launch sewage or animal carcasses be thrown into castles using a trebuchet?

• To spread diseases to the people under siege.

• To make the castle smell bad so people would leave.

• Just for fun.

• They didn't do that.

True or False: Trebuchets had a bigger range (how far they can fling things) compared to other siege weapons of the same time period.

• True

• False

The best trebuchets had a range of about ___________ meters.

• 400

• 200

• 600

• 800

The beam is positioned off-center so that the one side is approximately ________ times longer than the other.

• 4-6

• 2-3

• 5-7

• 8-10

What is a counterweight?

• A "container" to hold heavy stuff like sand, rocks, & lead.

• It's the part of the trebuchet that holds whatever you are flinging/launching.

• It's just the name of the short-end of the beam.

The short-end of the beam is usually __________ compared to the long-end of the beam.

• Thicker

• Thinner

What is the purpose of the "finger"?

• It's the "pin" that you remove to make the whole trebuchet start to move.

• It's a piece that sticks out so that the sling will open up to release the projectile at the right time.

• It's the "pin" that acts as the axle, which allows the beam to pivot.

When the trebuchet is waiting to launch, the gravitational potential energy is stored in the....

• counterweight.

• sling.

• winch.

• base.

What type of simple machines are the beam and the winch?

• Beam = Lever

  Winch = Pulley

• Beam = Inclined Plane

  Winch = Wheel & Axle

• Beam = Lever

  Winch = Screw

• Beam = Wedge

  Winch = Pulley

Why is the force required to lift the counterweight using the winches less than if you just lifted the counterweight straight up with human hands?

• Because the force from the winches is applied to the long-end of the beam, which means the distance over which the force is applied is LONGER and therefore the force applied can be less.

• Because the force from the winches is applied to the long-end of the beam, which means the distance over which the force is applied is SHORTER and therefore the force applied can be less.