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STEM Catapult

Challenge

Includes Resources and Worksheets to Guide your

Students

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Note to teachersTeacher Instructions:

1. Create a material station in the corner of the class. Allow students to send a team captain to collect

materials. You can give students a budget for materials and allow them to purchase. For example,

students may have $10 to spend and prices are $1 for 4 rubber bands and $2 for a popsicle stick. In my

classroom, I allowed students to get the supplies they wanted, and it worked well.

2. Set-up the 3 different stations for testing.

1. Accuracy: Cotton balls and a bowl make-up this station. The bowl will be in a set location

(works well on the floor). Teams will have 2 test runs to determine how far they want to launch

from. Then, from a set distance, students will launch their cotton balls. Record how many make it

into the bowl out of 5 attempts.

2. Power: Mini marshmallows work great for this one. Set-up a launch line using masking tape.

Students launch 3 times per catapult and record each distance using a measuring tape. If it is too

much hassle to record the distance, have students launch both catapults and mark which one went

farthest for each trial.

3. Tower: Build a tower out of small plastic cups. Mark a set distance of about 3 feet that students

must launch behind (they can go farther back). Use beans or a heavier item to knock over the

tower.

3. Split the class into teams of 3-4 students. Each team will build 2 catapults using different materials.

Students must use a different frame for each catapult (i.e. one is using a coke can and another a roll of

newspaper).

4. Introduce catapults using resources on the next page. Discuss what are some common parts to a

catapults.

5. Discuss the engineering design process.

http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/workshop/process.html

6. Give some examples on how to build a simple catapult using the materials provided to get students

thinking. Do not go in-depth to allow their creativity to come through!

7. Allow students to complete the challenge.

Materials:

Materials vary as there are many ways to build a catapult. The next page has suggested catapult designs, but

these are some recommended materials. Allow students to be creative!

Magazines/newspapers

Popsicle sticks (thick and thin)

Masking tape

Scissors

Plastic cups

Coke cans

Rubber bands (various sizes)

Soup cans

Plastic spoons

Bottle caps

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Note to teachers

Suggestions for the challenge

1. Show pictures of catapults and ask students what features they have in common.

2. Math Connections

1. Students can graph distance results for all the catapults in the class.

2. Students can find the average of the 3 trials.

3. Students can determine how the angle of the launch (how far back they pull the launcher, usually a spoon) affects the distance.

3. Science Connections: Forces and Levers

4. Current technology:

1. Catapults used on aircraft carriers to launch airplanes.

2. International Space Station uses a “cannon” to launch mini-satellites into orbit around the Earth.

Catapult Resources

• Curriculum resources: https://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/cub_/lessons/cub_catapult/cub_catapult_lesson01.xml

• Design ideas:

• http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/55055/15-easy-catapults-to-make

• http://spaghettiboxkids.com/blog/easy-to-make-catapult-fantastic-soda-can-design/

• http://frugalfun4boys.com/2013/10/11/candy-corn-catapults/

• Catapult game: http://discoverykids.com/games/catapult/

• Science of catapults: http://www.superchargedscience.com/science-catapults.htm

• Awesome catapult video: http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin/videos/punkin-chunkin-catapults.htm

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Power Test Tower

Challenge

Accuracy Test

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Catapult Challenge

Name(S) :_________________________________________________________

Design and build two catapults. Each catapult will undergo three different tests to determine accuracy and power.

Sketch your two catapult designs:

Catapult 1

Catapult 2

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Catapult Challenge

Station 1: Test for Accuracy

Catapult 1 Catapult 2

Trial 1______ out of 5 ______ out of 5

Trial 2______ out of 5 ______ out of 5

Trial 3______ out of 5 ______ out of 5

Best Trial

Your challenge is to accurately throw cotton balls into a container. You will have 2 practice

runs to determine the best launching distance from the catapult. Then, from a set distance,

count how many cotton balls out of 5 fall into the container.

1. Which catapult was more accurate? Why?

2. For this catapult, what design changes would you make to improve the accuracy even

more?

3. What factors affected the accuracy measurements?

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Catapult Challenge

Station 2: Test for Power

Catapult 1 Catapult 2

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Best Trial

Your challenge is to launch a marshmallow as far as possible. Record distance.

1. Which catapult had the greatest power? Why?

2. For this catapult, what design changes would you make to improve the distance even

more?

3. What factors affected the distance measurements?

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Catapult Challenge

Station 3: Tower Test

Catapult 1 Catapult 2

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Best Trial

Your challenge is to knock over a tower! This challenge will be a test of both accuracy and

power. Record how many tries it takes to know over the tower You have a maximum of 5

attempts per trial.

1. Which catapult was the best at the tower challenge? Why?

2. What factors affected this tower challenge?

3. If you had to select the best catapult based on your testing, which would you choose?

Justify your choice with data.

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Catapult Challenge

Math Connection

1. For the Power test (station 2), find the average distance over the three trials:

Catapult 1 Average Distance: ___________________

Catapult 2 Average Distance: ___________________

2. As a class, determine the average distance for all the catapults. Are either of your

catapults higher than the class average?

3. Determine the effect of angle of launch on catapult distance. Using a protractor, select 3

angles of launching. Measure the distance for each angle.

Angle Catapult 1 Distance Catapult 2 Distance

Angle 1

Angle 2

Angle 3

Angle of launch: 70

Angle of launch: 110

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Catapult Challenge

Math Connection

Cat

apu

lt D

ista

nce

4. Create a line plot of the results from your angle of launch testing. Use a different color for

each catapult. Label the y-axis with distance (including units) and complete the legend.

Angle 1: _____ Angle 2: _____ Angle 3:______

Legend Catapult 1: Catapult 2:

5. What trends do you notice from the graph? How does the angle of launch affect the distance?

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Catapult Challenge

Math Connection

6. Look back at your data for the Accuracy challenge (station 1). Convert each result into a

fraction and percentage in the table below.

Catapult 1 Fraction Percentage

Example: _2__ out of 52 / 5 40%

______ out of 5

______ out of 5

______ out of 5

Catapult 2 Fraction Percentage

Example: _2__ out of 52 / 5 40%

______ out of 5

______ out of 5

______ out of 5

7. Find your highest percentage accuracy. Using this percentage, how many would you

expect to make out of the following:

10 attempts: ________ 15 attempts: ________ 25 attempts: ________