WVC Catapult Contest

The Wenatchee Valley College fall-quarter Catapult Contest will be held on Friday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. on the campus green between the fountain and Batjer Hall.

Rules for the catapult contest:

1. MATERIALS: Only wood, natural fibers (such as hemp) and stones may be used in the construction of the catapults. Glue is acceptable, but no metal, nylon or rubber may be used.
2. CONSTRUCTION:
1. All catapults must be built on a base that provides mobility (wooden wheels) but also the stability to fire projectiles.
2. The catapults will be fired from the ground; an adjustable release angle is desirable.
3. The throwing arm may not be longer than 50.0 cm from the pivot of the fulcrum to the center of the projectile. There are no other dimensional restrictions.
3. AMMUNITION: this will be provided at the contest and will be tennis balls.
4. CONTEST: there are three components to the contest as follows:
1. Distance: all teams will be allowed two shots for distance, and the average of the two will be totaled and points awarded to each team (1-10)
2. Accuracy: each team will be allowed two shots at a target to assess the accuracy of the catapult. Up to 5 points will be awarded for each shot.
3. Design: each catapult will be awarded from 1-10 points for originality of design and/or historical accuracy.
5. TEAMS: all catapult teams can have a maximum of two members, and each team must have a picture of the type of historical catapult that they are attempting to replicate for the use of the judges. The machines may be duplicates of a catapult, onager, ballista or trebuchet.
6. PRIZES: there will be prizes awarded to the top three teams after the points for design, distance and accuracy are determined by a panel of judges. The decision of the judges is final, and no judge will be involved with a class or club that has contributed a catapult.

If there are any questions concerning the rules for the contest, please contact WVC Physics faculty member Bruce Unger.