I am stuck on this problem for my physics class and I would really appreciate if anyone could help me. How do you determine the range of a trebuchet?
-
Large trebuchets are typically designed with a large hanging mass on one end of a lever, and a projectile attached by sling to the other end of the lever. To get a very basic range calculation, let's neglect air resistance, the release height of the projectile, and assume that the projectile is released at 45 degrees above the horizontal such that its range is maximized. Let M be the mass of the hanging mass, let m be the mass of the projectile, let h be the distance through which M falls, let v be the release velocity of the projectile, and let r be the range.
Mgh = 1/2 mv^2
v^2 = 2Mgh/m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_of_a_…
The range can be found with this formula
r = v^2/g = 2Mh/m
Suppose you have a 1-ton mass falling over 1 m launch a 1-kg projectile. The range of that projectile is about 2 km.
Mgh = 1/2 mv^2
v^2 = 2Mgh/m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_of_a_…
The range can be found with this formula
r = v^2/g = 2Mh/m
Suppose you have a 1-ton mass falling over 1 m launch a 1-kg projectile. The range of that projectile is about 2 km.