![popsicle catapult popsicle catapult](https://miro.medium.com/max/6912/1*FORugYsQz8JAKWzV0dPfYw.jpeg)
Use at least 3 to ensure that the lever arm remains connected to the base. Use two rubber bands in an 'X' pattern - no wrapping required Wrap several more rubber bands around the base and lever arm. Start with one of the suggestions below, but get the kids involved in finding soft and safe alternatives. To make our super-sized version, we just modified the materials a little bit. Attach another craft stick on top of the fulcrum for the lever arm. The good news is that modern life has provided many alternatives to the medieval rock. The three primary energy storage mechanisms are tension, torsion, and gravity (Newton’s laws) Together, Katapultos means “shield piercer.”Ĭatapult physics is basically the use of stored energy to hurl a projectile (the payload), without the use of an explosive. “Catapult” comes from two Greek words, “Kata” which means downward and “pultos” which is a small shield. Catapults have been used since ancient times all the way to World War I. They proved themselves very effective as siege weapons and invaluable on the battlefield. Catapults were first invented to hurl projectiles farther than any human could. The science behind a catapultĮven though your kids will see catapults as a fun activity, there is a lot of science involved with the laws of motion. Push down on the spoon and release to launch an object from catapult. Youll need: 7 wooden Popsicle sticks, a plastic spoon, and a handful of. Wrap a rubber band around all of the craft sticks to hold the catapult together. explore the mechanics of catapults by building your own with popsicle sticks. Place the stack of 5 craft sticks between the lolly stick and spoon. Separate the spoon and the popsicle stick. We prefer a wooden spoon to a plastic one for our popsicle stick catapult design as it gives without cracking making for a better “fling”. Stack 1 popsicle stick and the wooden spoon together and wrap a loom band around the very end. Stack 5 lolly sticks together and wrap a loom band around each end Read more about the science behind the catapult and simple ways to create a catapult science experiment below STEP 3: Test and measure how far each item goes when flung from the catapult. At the same time, we are learning about our brains/mindsets (‘ Puzzle ‘), engage technology (‘ Shift ‘) and the creative process (‘ Create ‘). Students learn to create as engineers, designers, and more. We love this easy LEGO Catapult.How to make a catapult out of popsicle sticks STEP 2: Hand out supplies to each individual or in small groups, and build a Popsicle stick catapult following the instructions below. This site holds the resources for Innovative Arts class, a class that replaced our technology class in our middle school.
![popsicle catapult popsicle catapult](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/eb/df/95/ebdf95b1be1cb7f8a2a7f984072ffded.jpg)
More Catapult Design IdeasĬan you build a giant catapult? We used this one to launch tennis balls over a net. If you want to learn more about Newton’s Laws of Motion, try our film canister rocket.
![popsicle catapult popsicle catapult](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3d/00/56/3d00569611c92d00b730e0a84bbc37d4--catapult-popsicle-sticks.jpg)
The further you push the catapult arm down ( which takes more force from you ) the further the ball will travel. If you push the catapult arm down further you are storing more elastic potential energy which means more kinetic energy is transferred to the ball when you release it. Catapults and conservation of energyĪ lolly stick catapult demonstrates energy being converted from one type to another ( potential to kinetic ) and transferred from one object to another ( catapult arm to ball ). When you pull down on the catapult arm, elastic potential energy is stored, when you release the catapult arm the potential energy changes to kinetic energy ( energy of motion ) which is transferred to the object which then flies through the air.
![popsicle catapult popsicle catapult](https://miro.medium.com/max/6912/1*AGhBCTH0Cnacg2N_fFhKuw.jpeg)
Newton’s First Law states that an object stays at rest until a force is applied to the object. See who can score the most with a set number of balls. Set a challenge to find out how far you can make a ball travel! Add some mathsĬreate a target with different numbers on different areas and use the catapult to fire balls at the target. Investigate to find out if a heavier ball travels further? Make it a challenge! Try adding extra or fewer sticks to the central part. Remember to only change one variable at a time Change the design Popsicle Stick Catapult Investigation Ideas Experiment with your table tennis balls.Attach a milk bottle top using double sided tape or strong glue.Twist another elastic band around the bottom of two sticks as you can see in the photo.Tie an elastic band around the middle of the cross.There should be more lolly stick on the end you want to use for the milk top. Place another stick above and one below the stack of 7 so they make a cross shape.Twist an elastic band around each end to hold them in place. Start with about 7 popsicle sticks and place them on top of each other.Popsicle Stick Catapults What you need for a Popsicle Stick Catapult