Catapults

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    WARNING:

    This information is circulated as a service to interested persons; no liability is accepted by Karl Kindt in relation to its safety or applicability in individual cases or in relation to its installation or adaptation for which appropriate medical, engineering or other professional services ought to be obtained.   DO NOT USE ANYTHING in ANY of these DEVICES EXCEPT Marshmallows.  IF YOU LAUNCH anything else with these catapults  you could injure your eye or someone else's eye or other parts of someone's body.  If you do launch marshmallows be certain they are the large ones not the small ones because a small one could get stuck in a child's throat.

    Simple one to build

    Scouts and Schools enjoy a game I teach called catapult. I bring a catapult with me. Marshmallows are hurled at a target, sometimes the target is me, and we determine who would have made the best catapultists. However, some groups make their own catapults before I come and they determine who has made the best catapult by firing marshmallows at each other's open mouths.

    Here are some other examples of catapults you can build:

    Out of a coat hanger and a spoon and rubber band:

    http://www.mos.org/learn_more/ed_res/cheapbook/catapulto/

    For more details of the Spoon Catapult click on the image below:

    All kinds of "how to" build catapults and trebuchets:

    http://www.trebuchet.com/plans.html

     

    Below the click will take you to a school's website where they give plans to their students for building a catapult:

    http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/toki/catapult.htm

    Animation of a catapult - for credit as to where this animation comes from and for more information from this site please click on the animation below:

     

     

     

    Here is an interesting watch that has a catapult built into it.

     

    Below are some interesting facts and places where you can explore more about catapults and how to make them. Some of these places are about trebuchets, a unique style of catapult.

    List of Catapult Resource Links

     Catapult school project.

    Picture of student with his project: http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/waymac/images/catapult.jpg

     Scouts Made a Full Size Trebuchet

    Small Catapult You Might Make

    Making a catapult canon from natural things in the woods

    A Pretty Sophisticated Design with Pulleys

    Basic Catapult

     

    Below are some pictures and other sites where you may see real medieval catapults and trebuchets

    Picture of home made large catapult | Medieval Catapult Reenactment Site | Huge Real Trebuchet