BUILDING A TREBUCHET

Building these simple machines introduces fundamentals of math and physics using levers, force, torsion, tension, and traction. You can find instructions and diagrams on how to build authentic working model catapults.  Additional projects include learning how to lash and make rope and how to construct and use a hand sling and a staff sling. The colorful history of siege warfare is explored through the stories of Alexander the Great and his battle of Tyre; Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, and the Third Crusade; pirate-turned-soldier John Crabbe and his ship-mounted catapults; and Edward I of England and his battle against the Scots at Stirling Castle.