Siege weapons were an essential feature of medieval warfare. At home, catapults can be made with popsicle sticks or a plastic spoon and rubber band. Here's a page of Lego trebuchets and what looks to be a simple Lego catapult. Here's instructions for a K'nex trebuchet. Nova's medieval siege site is here.
If you have Shockwave, you can play the game Destroy the Castle, but you must adjust the stone ball weight, sling length, counterweight, distance from the castle, and wheels in order to use the trebuchet effectively.
The trebuchet must have been a scary weapon. More detail about its operation can be studied at Trebuchet Physics or History of the Trebuchet.
To see a large one in action (tossing pianos or a car), check out this trebuchet video at Youtube.com ... At home, it might be easier to toss marshmellows or ping pong balls. You can build a paper castle or medieval town by printing up these cool templates. Print up battle-specific paper medieval knights here.
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