- #1
steve092
- 10
- 0
Trebuchet help: Calculating velocity
I'm new to this site, so bear with me!
OK, so I'm doing a trebuchet for my physics project. I have done three trials with counterweights of different masses. I have all of the distances that a golf ball of mass=0.045kg has traveled. I also have the masses of the counterweights.
Just as a starting point for the first trial:
mass of the counterweight=10.937
h=0.631m
The average distance for this trial was 34.33m.
PEg=mgh
KE=(1/2)mv2
I've done the calculations; however, my answers were nowhere near what the velocity should be. For one trial, the mass of the counterweight was 10.937kg. I did the calculations and the velocity came out to be 3.53m/s which seemed a little slow.
Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I wonder if it is because the mass of the golf ball needs to be taken into account somehow? Anyways, thanks in advance!
I've used the example from https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=250335&highlight=trebuchet and I still can't get it. I don't even understand how the answer was calculated in that example.
Homework Statement
I'm new to this site, so bear with me!
OK, so I'm doing a trebuchet for my physics project. I have done three trials with counterweights of different masses. I have all of the distances that a golf ball of mass=0.045kg has traveled. I also have the masses of the counterweights.
Just as a starting point for the first trial:
mass of the counterweight=10.937
h=0.631m
The average distance for this trial was 34.33m.
Homework Equations
PEg=mgh
KE=(1/2)mv2
The Attempt at a Solution
I've done the calculations; however, my answers were nowhere near what the velocity should be. For one trial, the mass of the counterweight was 10.937kg. I did the calculations and the velocity came out to be 3.53m/s which seemed a little slow.
Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I wonder if it is because the mass of the golf ball needs to be taken into account somehow? Anyways, thanks in advance!
I've used the example from https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=250335&highlight=trebuchet and I still can't get it. I don't even understand how the answer was calculated in that example.
Last edited: