What is Trebuchet?
[[Image:Trebuchet.jpg|thumb|right|A trebuchet]] A '''Trebuchet''' was a device used in [[war]]s and [[siege]]s in the [[Middle Ages]]. It could be used to throw stones at [[rampart]]s, trying to break them down. It could also be used to throw things over the walls of a city. These could be [[corpse]]s of animals or people that had died of the [[plague]]. Trebuchets were more accurate than other medieval [[catapult]]s. Trebuchets were first made in China in the 4th century BC. ==How it works== The trebuchet works in a simple way. The basket of the trebuchet is filled with heavy rocks. This acts as a [[counterweight]] for the other end, which is usually filled with one large rock. Several men arm the trebuchet by raising the counterweight up and the firing arm down. At this point the arm is released, the heavy basket swings down and the arm swings up, launching the rock far and fast. The sling adds an additional 10-15 feet of arm length and gives the projectile a whip like speed then releases. The sling gives the projectile most of its speed. == Other websites == <!-- [[Wikipedia:Other websites]] guidelines point out that Wikipedia is not a web directory --> {{Commons|Trebuchet}} * [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/ Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Siege (building of and history of trebuchets)], from the [[Nova (TV series)|NOVA]] website * [http://www.algobeautytreb.com/trebmath35.pdf article on Trebuchet Mechanics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305183508/http://www.algobeautytreb.com/trebmath35.pdf |date=2009-03-05 }} (in [[Portable Document Format|PDF format]]) * [http://url404.net/trebuchet/ The Finnish Trebuchet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311161505/http://url404.net/trebuchet/ |date=2007-03-11 }} * [http://mysite.verizon.net/shteinb/ Homemade Trebuchet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409172146/http://mysite.verizon.net/shteinb/ |date=2007-04-09 }} * [http://www.people.vanderbilt.edu/%7Efrank.v.cioppettini/trebuchet.html Ho