The Trebuchet Challenge | Space Time

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACEUploaded 28-02-18Do you have what it takes to calculate the awesome power of the trebuchet? You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGet your own Space Time t­shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBiTweet at us! @pbsspacetimeFacebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetimeEmail us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] comComment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetimeHelp translate our videos!https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7gPrevious Episode:Death of the Sunhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJY3y5_k0doKinetic and potential energy are defined as combinations of more basic quantities: position, velocity and mass. These combinations are chosen so that their sum is conserved. It’s actually remarkable that there’s any such combination of quantities that is conserved. This fact gives us insight into the fundamental symmetries of nature. It’s something we’ll get back to. Today I want to highlight the power of energy as a tool in calculation. We could get into fluid or stellar dynamics, or even quantum mechanics. But no, we’re going talk about something cooler – the trebuchet. If you’re not familiar, shame on you, but here’s the deal: the trebuchet is, I suppose, a type of catapult, but it’s so much more. The internet agrees that the trebuchet is the greatest of all medieval siege engines. Opinion is divided on whether Chuck Norris would win a fight against a trebuchet. The hyperbole is kind of warranted. The trebuchet is incredibly efficient at converting the potential energy of a massive counterweight into the castle-destroying kinetic energy of a projectile. It relies on the mighty power of the lever. Hosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'DowdProduced by Rusty WardGraphics by Grayson BlackmonAssistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow and Linda HuangMade by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big BangCoolAsCatsDavid NicklasFaisal SaudAnton LifshitsJoey RednerQuasarTambe BarsbayMayank M. MehrotaMars YenturMark RosenthalDean FuquaRoman PinchukFrank SeciliaHypernovaShaun WilliamsEdmund FokschanerMatthew O’ConnorEugene LawsonMartha HuntJoseph SalomoneChuck ZegarJordan YoungRatfeastJohn HofmannBarry HatfieldCraig PetersonThanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Kris FernetJane MyersBrandon CookJames FlowersGreg AllenDenys IvanovNick VirtueAlexey EromenkoNicholas RoseScott GossettMark VasilePatrick MurraySultan AlkhulaifiAlex SetoMichal-Peanut KarmiErik SteinDaniel LyonsKevin WarneJJ BagnellJ RejcAvi GoldfingerJohn PettitFlorian StiglmayrBenoit Pagé-GuitardNathan LenizLoro LukicBrandon LabonteDavid CraneGreg WeissJames HughesTJ Madison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices