What is the angle of elevation for a trebuchet if you want to reach 12 feet?

Question

I'm just doing this for fun, can someone tell me what angle is needed for an object to reach 12 feet? Even better, can someone show me how?

Answer 1

Your question falls under the category of ballistics. To determine if a trebuchet is capable of throwing something 12 feet you would need to know the initial velocity. That is, the speed of the projectile at the instant it leaves the treb. It is common knowledge, and it can be shown that a ballistic will achieve it's maximum range when fired at an angle of 45 degrees from the horizontal. And you can increase your range by using a smaller projectile.
When air resistance is ignored, the horizontal velocity is constant. The vertical velocity is affected by gravity, so the projectile takes the path of a parabola. The programs used in modern tanks and ships take into account the rotation of the earth, the spin of the projectile and the speed and direction of the wind at different altitudes to achieve high accuracy.