The Catapult! Ancient Greece: Accomplishments

Warm-Up 1. Turn to your neighbor and compare the achievements you see or use. 2. See who has the most. 3. See how similar you are. 4. See how different you are.

Objective Students will be able to understand the importance of Archimedes discovery of the lever and pulley by designing a catapult and experimenting with its various uses and strategies.

What Is A Catapult? 1. A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices— particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines.

Definition 3. The word 'Catapult' comes from the two Greek words "kata" (downward) and "pultos" (a small circular battle shield). 4. Katapultos was then taken to mean "shield piercer".

So What? 2. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during warfare.

So…Are They Still Used Today? YES!!! 3. There are many types of Catapult. 4. In modern times, the word catapult can be used to describe any machine that hurls a projectile. 5. This can include a slingshot used to hurl pebbles, a machine that launches airplanes off aircraft carriers, and of course, the ancient weapons of smash destruction!

Lever and Pulley At Work! 6. An Egytian shadouf is a long pole balanced in the middle, with a weight on one end and a rope attached to the other end with a bucket tied to it. 7. People use these shadoufs to lift water from irrigation trenches. 8. (They pull the rope down, and the counterweight pulls the bucket full of water up.) 9. If someone had slipped and let go of the rope, an empty bucket could be flung high and far by the counterweight. 10. A clever person might see the weapons potential in this.

Ballista 11. The next oldest type of catapult is the Ballista. 12. This machine was deliberately invented by the Greeks, around 800 BCE. 13. Ballistae were even mounted on warships and used to hurl fire onto other ships.

Romans and the Onager The Romans took the ballista, used it, and then improved in in the Roman way to create the Scorpion, and then the Onager. Not much is known about how these machines really looked, but our best guess is something like this one.

Trebuchet In The Middle Ages! Onagers were used right up to the middle ages alongside the Trebuchet, when gunpowder and the Cannon were invented and eventually replaced the catapults.

Make A Catapult! 1. Glue two sticks completely together x Glue two sticks only at one end x 2.

Activity – Copy Measure the distance that the objects are catapulted. 2. Vary the objects that are catapulted. 3. Make a connection between mass of the object and the distance it is catapulted. Mass = beans, cotton balls, paper balls, etc. 4. What is the relationship between force and distance? Force = rubber bands A. Levers are all around us. List two levers that people use all the time. B. What are levers used in society? C. What types of levers are around us? D. How can force be measured?