Project Reflection
Catapults are weapons that were created in ancient times, but have since been rendered obsolete. They are simple weapons powered by tension, torsion, and balance. In medieval times of war, catapults were used to hurl arrows, rocks, bodies, missiles, flaming balls, and more into the cities of enemies. In the Catapult Project, we learned about the history and mathematics of catapults and in groups of 5 were tasked with building a functioning catapult. The catapults could either be mangonels, trebuchets, air cannons, or ballistas (see research essay to read more about the types of catapults).
Catapults launch objects through the air in an arc. This type of curved launch is known as "projectile motion", which was an important concept we covered in math. We learned how to calculate horizontal and vertical displacement, speed, velocity, and the angle of launch. When we finally launched our catapult, we were able to use our knowledge to calculate different aspects of the launch.
In art, we recently learned what the Design Thinking Methodologies are and how they are applied to work and projects at HTH and in the real world. The Design Thinking Methodologies are: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. These were crucial to the Catapult Project because, as a group, we had to solve a problem together (we needed to launch a baseball at least 15 feet). We spent about a week just discussing ideas, drawing concept renderings, and researching. We then built tiny catapult prototypes to see if our idea would work, and when our prototypes were successful, we built our actual catapult. The Design Thinking Methodologies were very important because they kept us on task and helped us work as a group to accomplish our next goal.
Our final catapult resembled the prototype in most ways, but we did have to add a few things due to its size. The small prototype catapult was powered by the tension held in a small piece of string that was wound tightly. When the arm was pulled back and released, the string would snap back to its original position and the arm would launch forward. This worked on a tiny catapult made of string and balsa wood, but when it came to our final catapult, the rope that we had hoped would hold enough tension to pull the arm was not strong enough. When we discovered that the arm was too heavy and the rope was too weak, we added bungee cords around the frame and arm to create a lot of tension against the arm (see pictures). Other than the addition of bungee cords (which was one day prior to launch), there were no significant last-minute changes to our design.
When it came to making calculations of the speed, height, and distance of our catapult, there were some limitations as to what we could and could not include. For example, we chose not to incorporate potential and kinetic energy in our calculations due to the difficulty we had in attempting to find it. We also chose to ignore air resistance as we were unable to gauge it on launch day.
If I were to change one thing about my process to have a better outcome, it would be to begin building and testing earlier. Even though we did have a working catapult on launch day, we had only tested for the first time two days earlier. Had we begun testing earlier, we would have had a better functioning catapult and more time to work on the aesthetic qualities of the project.
Overall I think that this project was a success. My group made a working catapult that launched 20-30 feet, and we were able to work together and learn to include everyone's ideas into conversation and our final product. I think that this project was a fantastic way to show that we understood the Design Thinking Methodologies, and we used that process to create the best possible product. The challenges my group faced mostly revolved around communication and teamwork. We often separated and worked on different things and didn't take time to talk with each other. I think that my biggest strength in group work is that I refuse to turn in anything but beautiful work, and I am never happy with a mediocre end product. This can also be a weakness, though, because I spend so much time trying to make my work perfect that I ignore outside suggestions or lose track of time and have to rush at the end. However, our final product was a functioning catapult that we were all proud of and we walked away from this project knowing more about projectile motion and the design process behind creating beautiful work.
In the future, I can use what I learned in this project and apply it to other classes. The Design Thinking Methodologies will help me to fully analyze and solve problems, rather than jumping to conclusions right away. This process also helped me improve my group work skills because it forced us to come together, discuss, and solve the problem. As I finish my tenth grade year and the rest of high school, I will be able to see problems differently, work on them with a specific process, and use my peers to discuss and solve them together.
Catapults launch objects through the air in an arc. This type of curved launch is known as "projectile motion", which was an important concept we covered in math. We learned how to calculate horizontal and vertical displacement, speed, velocity, and the angle of launch. When we finally launched our catapult, we were able to use our knowledge to calculate different aspects of the launch.
In art, we recently learned what the Design Thinking Methodologies are and how they are applied to work and projects at HTH and in the real world. The Design Thinking Methodologies are: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. These were crucial to the Catapult Project because, as a group, we had to solve a problem together (we needed to launch a baseball at least 15 feet). We spent about a week just discussing ideas, drawing concept renderings, and researching. We then built tiny catapult prototypes to see if our idea would work, and when our prototypes were successful, we built our actual catapult. The Design Thinking Methodologies were very important because they kept us on task and helped us work as a group to accomplish our next goal.
Our final catapult resembled the prototype in most ways, but we did have to add a few things due to its size. The small prototype catapult was powered by the tension held in a small piece of string that was wound tightly. When the arm was pulled back and released, the string would snap back to its original position and the arm would launch forward. This worked on a tiny catapult made of string and balsa wood, but when it came to our final catapult, the rope that we had hoped would hold enough tension to pull the arm was not strong enough. When we discovered that the arm was too heavy and the rope was too weak, we added bungee cords around the frame and arm to create a lot of tension against the arm (see pictures). Other than the addition of bungee cords (which was one day prior to launch), there were no significant last-minute changes to our design.
When it came to making calculations of the speed, height, and distance of our catapult, there were some limitations as to what we could and could not include. For example, we chose not to incorporate potential and kinetic energy in our calculations due to the difficulty we had in attempting to find it. We also chose to ignore air resistance as we were unable to gauge it on launch day.
If I were to change one thing about my process to have a better outcome, it would be to begin building and testing earlier. Even though we did have a working catapult on launch day, we had only tested for the first time two days earlier. Had we begun testing earlier, we would have had a better functioning catapult and more time to work on the aesthetic qualities of the project.
Overall I think that this project was a success. My group made a working catapult that launched 20-30 feet, and we were able to work together and learn to include everyone's ideas into conversation and our final product. I think that this project was a fantastic way to show that we understood the Design Thinking Methodologies, and we used that process to create the best possible product. The challenges my group faced mostly revolved around communication and teamwork. We often separated and worked on different things and didn't take time to talk with each other. I think that my biggest strength in group work is that I refuse to turn in anything but beautiful work, and I am never happy with a mediocre end product. This can also be a weakness, though, because I spend so much time trying to make my work perfect that I ignore outside suggestions or lose track of time and have to rush at the end. However, our final product was a functioning catapult that we were all proud of and we walked away from this project knowing more about projectile motion and the design process behind creating beautiful work.
In the future, I can use what I learned in this project and apply it to other classes. The Design Thinking Methodologies will help me to fully analyze and solve problems, rather than jumping to conclusions right away. This process also helped me improve my group work skills because it forced us to come together, discuss, and solve the problem. As I finish my tenth grade year and the rest of high school, I will be able to see problems differently, work on them with a specific process, and use my peers to discuss and solve them together.