Meet the Catapult: Medieval Siege Machines in Action
Imagine you are a knight in the year 1100. Your enemy is hiding behind thick stone walls 20 feet tall. You cannot climb them. Your sword cannot break them. But you have something amazing: a giant machine that can throw a 90-pound boulder farther than a football field! That machine is a catapult — and for hundreds of years, catapults were the most powerful weapons in the world.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson you will be able to: • Say what a catapult is and what it was used for. • Explain how pulling one end down makes the other end fly up. • Name two different kinds of throwing machines from the Middle Ages. • Build and test your own mini-catapult with simple everyday items.
What Is a Catapult?
A catapult is a machine that stores up energy and then releases it all at once to throw something far away. People used catapults in medieval times — that means roughly 500 to 1500 years ago in Europe. Armies used them during a siege: when you want to get inside a castle, instead of climbing the walls you throw heavy rocks at them until the walls crack and fall. Catapults could throw rocks, barrels of fire, or even beehives at enemies — that last one was a real medieval trick!
How Did It Work?
A catapult works like a see-saw, but much more powerful! Picture a long wooden arm balanced on a pivot point (like the middle of a see-saw). One end of the arm is short and very heavy. The other end is long and holds the rock. Soldiers pull the LONG end all the way down and hold it there — storing energy, like stretching a rubber band tight. When they let go, SNAP! The short heavy end drops, and the long end swings UP super fast, launching the rock high into the sky. The farther you pull the arm down, and the heavier the short side, the farther the rock flies!
Different Kinds of Throwing Machines
Medieval armies used several kinds of siege machines: **Trebuchet** (say: treh-byoo-SHAY): the most powerful! It used a huge heavy counterweight to swing the arm. The biggest ones could throw a 300-pound rock nearly 300 yards. **Mangonel** (say: MAN-go-nel): used twisted ropes instead of a counterweight. When ropes are twisted super tight, they push back hard when released. Soldiers could set one up in just a few hours. **Ballista** (say: bah-LIS-tah): looked like a giant crossbow lying on its side. It shot heavy arrows instead of rocks — very accurate! All three store energy differently, but they all do the same job: fling things at castle walls.
When you pull the catapult arm down, you are storing potential energy. The moment you let go, that becomes kinetic energy — the energy of movement. Scientists use the exact same ideas today to launch weather balloons, crash-test cars, and even send spacecraft into orbit!
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
What part of a catapult works like the middle of a see-saw?
A trebuchet is more powerful than a mangonel because it uses a —
Build a Spoon Catapult
Materials: a plastic spoon, 5 craft sticks, 3 rubber bands, and a mini marshmallow. Step 1: Stack 4 craft sticks together and wrap a rubber band tightly around each end to hold them as a bundle. Step 2: Place the 5th craft stick across the bundle near one end. Lash them together with a rubber band in an X — this is your pivot point. Step 3: Tape or rubber-band the plastic spoon to the long end of the single craft stick. Step 4: Place a mini marshmallow in the spoon bowl. Step 5: Hold the bundle flat. Push the spoon down and let go! Deliverable: Try 5 launches. Then slide the crossing point (your pivot) closer to the spoon — does the marshmallow go farther or not as far? Write down what you notice. Draw your catapult and label the arm, pivot point, and projectile (the marshmallow).
Match each siege machine to how it stores energy.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Want to keep learning?
Sign up for free to access the full curriculum — all subjects, all ages.
Start Learning Free