Building a Trebuchet

It is a warm, peaceful morning, the air is still. The only sounds that can be heard are the distant sounds of the birds tweeting. I am looking outside and the trees are still, their leaves hardly moving an inch. There is only the occasional leaf falling, floating to the ground. The sky is a wonderful blue and there is only a distant, clearing fog but no clouds. Today is set to be the hottest day ever recorded in October. That is why I have my blazer off, doors wide open and I am still sweltering in the heat. The grass is lush and I can see the dew drops hanging off the end of each blade. In Gosfield School, it is always calm. We are surrounded by woodland and fields and it is an idyllic place to learn and to be. However today is not a normal day. It is Gosfield’s open morning and we have the monstrous challenge of building a trebuchet.

What is a trebuchet, I hear you ask? It is a catapult that was used in the Middle Ages to fling heavy stones to try to destroy the castle or city walls. The force of the trebuchet was so powerful it could destroy practically anything that stood in its way. The word trebuchet derrives from the word “trebucher” which is a French word that means to throw over. We are kindly provided with the help of the husband of the school’s art teacher. I asked him how long it took to create such a complex creation and he replied, “It only took around half a day and all you need to do is find the right parts”. So you have to take your hat off for him kindly helping us with this big challenge.  This is by no means an easy task to handle and obviously requires a fair amount of skill.

They were using a full bag of sand to put in the bucket, each time using different amounts. They used golf balls as their ammunition and they worked very well some, going to incredible distances, unlike what I had first imagined. Whilst I was observing the great contraption I nioticed that everybody was measuring the distances accuratley and talking about where to put the sling, how much sand, which angle and it all seemed very complicated. It made me realise just how much was required to make sure it hit the target and was far more than just yanking a rope and seeing how far it goes. I was told that using a computer was far easier than the real thing as there were so many more variables to control in real life and this is very true. In  this case, it raises the point that technology actually can be very misleading and not reliable in some places.

The topic used in this experiment are the laws of trajectory and pivots and uses a fulcrum which is a fixed pivot. However on a less serious note, the team’s target was different countries, such as America, China, United Kingdom, Italy and many others. They stuck pictures of the flags on poles and placed a hula-hoop over the pole and that was their designated target. This trebuchet was a tremendous success and although they didn’t quite reach America, I’m sure the walled garden will be enough of an accomplishment for now.

Written by Bradley Childs, Sam Kempster and Tom Bent, Year 10