Catapult
Physics and Astronomy
Michael Jeffrey
- Grade:
- 8
- Teacher:
- Lara Huetter
The purpose of my project was to find the best launch angle for a catapult so it could throw a ball the farthest distance. I Made the catapult because I need to do chores outside, but my dog always wants to play fetch. Throwing the ball by hand took time away from doing my chores, so I decided to test a catapult instead. I tested different launch angles to see which one sent the ball the farthest. After measuring the distance for each angle, I found that a 45° angle worked the best. At this angle, the ball traveled 61.6 yards, or 185 feet. This project shows how changing angles affects distance. It could inspire others to build their own catapult or help students come up with ideas for their own science fair projects.
This is a very good physics project. I really enjoyed how you documented your process with clear photos at each stage — that’s an excellent scientific habit. Your ability to record and communicate your work so carefully is a real strength and an important skill for any scientist. Keep it up!
I love how you turned a real-life problem with chores and playing fetch into a creative engineering project. Building and testing your own catapult and discovering that 45° worked best shows great effort and determination, and it is clear you learned a lot from this hands-on experience.