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Your students will have seen films with siege machines, used from the days of the Ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages, but did they ever think they would build one for themselves? The teams draw lots to decide what kind of machine they will make, either trebuchets, ballistas or catapults. These are seriously impressive machines that are up to 4m tall and can throw over 100m. This is a fantastic engineering day your students will never forget.
The size of these machines means they must be built either in a hall or weather permitting outside.
When the machines are ready they are taken outside and competed against each for both distance and accuracy.
As usual all the materials, tools and guidance are provided by the WSC staff member and you get to keep the machines your students build.
The key learning intentions and engineering principles covered are:
• Working as a team, team management and collective decision making
• Practical application of knowledge learned
• Development of fabrication skills
• Kinetic energy
• Potential energy
• Transfer of energy
• Material selection
• Pivots
• Levers
• Design
• Beams
• Inertia
• Trajectory
• Torsion
• Compression
A learning resources pack will be sent at the time of booking.
Recommended for Keystage 4 and 5. This project is run as a full day session.
The cost includes the attendance of the WSC staff member with all the necessary tools and materials to undertake the project.
Team sizes : 5-7
Teams per WSC staff : 1-2
Price per WSC staff : £615
Averaging at a price per pupil (calculated at full attendance) : £44
The school gets to keep the engines at the end of the build but some elements will remain the property of WSC unless purchased separately.
Trebuchet counterweight : £25
Ballista/catapult winch : £30
Ballista/catapult/trebuchet trigger : £15