Trajectory B/C

[starpug]

Does anyone know a way to downsize catapults?

What I mean is, my team had a really good catapult last year but it probably won't fit into the 70cm cube this year. So are there any effective ways to make it smaller so I don't have to build a new one? (Yes, I'm lazy.)

Proportions can be used to downsize, just do 70 over last years measurement (80?) and which 7/8 when simplified. You can use proportions to downsize

[AlphaTauri]

Uhhh...that's not exactly what I meant. What I was trying to say was "Is there any simple way I can use the same catapult as last year, only saw off some parts to make it fit the 70cm cube while still working as well as it did before I sawed off the parts?"

Although, I guess I could just listen to what you said and build a new one...That would probably be the smarter approach.

[starpug]

Uhhh...that's not exactly what I meant. What I was trying to say was "Is there any simple way I can use the same catapult as last year, only saw off some parts to make it fit the 70cm cube while still working as well as it did before I sawed off the parts?"

Although, I guess I could just listen to what you said and build a new one...That would probably be the smarter approach.

You can probably do that if everything is held together with nails and screws, but I cannot guarantee that the device will work the same after.

It is probably smarter to build a new one.

[jesimine10~IRL]

In my experiences Surgical tubing and bungee cords have not been reliable at ALL. The results I got were never the same and one day it could fire 10 feet the next day it went 2 inches. Last year using the surgical tubing we made a cannon, which failed us because it was not constant. The year before we made a catapult with the bungee cords which also failed us after days of practing. My question is what is reliable and will not change. I have been thinking about this for a long time but can't think of anything, besides rubber bands which don't seem like they would be a good idea at all. And suggestions?

I experienced the exact same problem with Surgical tubing! Glad to know that my partner and I weren't the only ones experiencing issues...

[ncha13]

is a square structure more suportive than a triangular shape?

[binary010101]

Does anyone know a way to downsize catapults?

What I mean is, my team had a really good catapult last year but it probably won't fit into the 70cm cube this year. So are there any effective ways to make it smaller so I don't have to build a new one? (Yes, I'm lazy.)

Saw off 7/10 (or whatever the proportion is) of each member, tubing, spring, arm, etc. Even then, like Starpug said, it probably won't perform the same, and it won't work if all the pieces are glued together. Remember to saw each piece down, otherwise it won't work.

[jesimine10~IRL]

I might do adjustments for next year. Is there anything I need to know about last-minute changes? I'm not very familiar with the event itself, so what kind of things would I need to know?

I think that the best thing to remember when building the event is to be as OCD about being exact as possible; you can never measure something too exact or drill a hole as straight. By eliminating common errors from constructing the device half-baked, you can get great data with your device that will make the event less stressful overall come competition time.

Hope that helped a little...

[AlphaTauri]

Does anyone know a way to downsize catapults?

What I mean is, my team had a really good catapult last year but it probably won't fit into the 70cm cube this year. So are there any effective ways to make it smaller so I don't have to build a new one? (Yes, I'm lazy.)

Saw off 7/10 (or whatever the proportion is) of each member, tubing, spring, arm, etc. Even then, like Starpug said, it probably won't perform the same, and it won't work if all the pieces are glued together. Remember to saw each piece down, otherwise it won't work.

Yeah, I'm going to listen to starpug and build a new one. I was hoping I didn't have to, though because it's a lot of work and because me and saws, screwdrivers, etc. don't get along well.

[computergeek3]

Are there any tips to building a catapult?

[robotman]

Are there any tips to building a catapult?

Read the thread it has a ton of information ask specific questions about the topic and read the Wiki