The CPA honors physics class with Anthony Muñoz had the opportunity to design and build various types of catapults to gauge which design was the most successful. The experiment was the culmination of the projectile motion unit combined with the introduction to forces and dynamics unit. Students were divided into groups of their choosing including the design team, construction team, launch team, and results/presentation team. The design team worked vigorously for 2 weeks analyzing, changing and perfecting the designs. 

The top 3 designs were trebuchet, ballista, and catapult. A trebuchet uses a lever and a counterweight utilizing gravity to launch an object. The ballista design resembles an ancient missile launcher and is powered by torsion from cords that propel the object. The catapult uses a long arm that is held back storing potential energy which is suddenly released propelling the object forward.

The designs then moved to the construction teams who worked diligently to build the designs to the specifications. The teams worked in the CPA workshop bringing the designs to life. The team then rolled the large fixtures onto the practice field ready for the launch teams.

The launch teams took the field ready to experiment with the final products. They had different items for launch including balls and pumpkins which they weighed prior to the experiment. They took measurements such as arch, distance, weight, speed, and time to help calculate the variables for analysis. 

Teams saw both success and failure with the launches, with some even requiring in-the-moment tweaks to the design. All three design groups saw a need for sturdier construction including more reinforcements. Some saw the need for longer and/or more bungee cords to help the objects propel farther. One team concluded that in hindsight they spent most of their time designing the launch mechanisms and not as much time on the aftermath of the launch, where they witnessed enough rebound to challenge the stability of the entire structure. In the end, the ballista team won the challenge for the farthest launch distance of the pumpkin traveling 22 ½ meters. 

Overall, all teams enjoyed the experience and were encouraged to continue striving for practical applications of physics.