Introduction
In preparation for war, in 399 B.C., Dionysius the Elder, ruler of the Greek colony, produced a new weapon called the catapult The catapult is an ancient artillery device that uses the power of recovery of twisted fibers or counter weight to hurl projectiles, such as large stones or spears, over long distances. The invention is credited to Dionysius and the Greeks, however the Romans made improvements to the basic design and perfected the use of it. In ancient times, the catapult was used as a military device. Catapults are a piece of medieval engineering that demonstrate and work by using basic principles of physics. The construction of a catapult will familiarize students with mechanical machines and how they function in relation to kinematic concepts backed by mathematical justification.