Application of Physics

Energy 

    Potential energy exists in the heavy balloon (a.k.a. payload) that is usually elevated; potential energy is an object can store energy as the result of its position. Therefore the counterweight is the object that has the most potential energy relative to its position compared with the rest of the catapult. The kinetic energy that exists in the trebuchet catapult is in the payload, or in other words the projectile of the object. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and in this case the rotational motion of the sling, the arm and the payload. Essentially the potential energy of a counterweight is converted to the kinetic energy of the projectile as one side of the arm drops and the other is lifted.

   Two ways to modify/ increase potential energy is by increasing the distance between the object and the ground or adding mass to the object. It is known that the best ratio between the payload and the counter weight is 1:100, therefore the heavier the counterweight the more potential energy the counterweight has. In this case the group is trying to get the counterweight as close as possible to this ratio. For kinetic energy the increase in mass will also help increase the energy, in this example the balloon would have a higher kinetic energy if it increased in mass, also the velocity of the kinetic energy. A modification would be that the velocity of the kinetic energy of the arm increased then the kinetic energy in the arm would also increase