Trebuchet

A medieval artillery engine that launches projectiles by swinging a long arm, powered by people pulling ropes or by a falling counterweight.

Sling (weaponry): A flexible projectile carrier that releases its load as it swings or rotates. A sling at the arm’s end extends the projectile’s acceleration and helps release it.
Traction trebuchet: A trebuchet powered by people pulling ropes attached to the short end of its throwing arm. This form appeared earlier than the counterweight design and spread through Eurasia.
Siege warfare: Military operations that surround and attack a fortified place to capture or compel its surrender. Trebuchets were built chiefly to attack fortifications during sieges.
Mangonel: A medieval stone-throwing siege engine, commonly identified as a torsion-powered catapult. Unlike a trebuchet’s gravity or human-powered arm, a mangonel typically stores energy in twisted cords.
Lever: A rigid bar that pivots around a fulcrum to transmit force and motion. The throwing arm acts as a lever, trading force for speed across its pivot.
Counterweight trebuchet: A trebuchet powered by a falling counterweight attached to the short end of its throwing arm. This later design became prominent in medieval siege warfare.
Castle: A fortified residence and stronghold built chiefly in medieval Europe and nearby regions. Castles were frequent targets of trebuchet bombardment.
Onager (weapon): A Roman torsion-powered siege engine that launched projectiles with a single throwing arm. Its twisted-bundle power source differs from a trebuchet’s traction or counterweight.
Projectile motion: The motion of an object launched into the air and acted on mainly by gravity and air resistance. It describes the projectile’s flight after the sling releases it.
Byzantine Empire: The eastern Roman state that endured from late antiquity until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Traction trebuchets were used in the Byzantine military world.

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