trebuchet

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drsved
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trebuchet

Postby drsved » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:45 pm

Found this recently. How does it differ from a catapult?
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Slava
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Re: trebuchet

Postby Slava » Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:57 pm

Good thing I looked as I would have said something completely wrong. Here and here are Wahoo! pages with images that show the difference.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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call_copse
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Re: trebuchet

Postby call_copse » Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:49 am

A catapult is a general term for devices to fling projectiles without explosives. A trebuchet is a specific type of catapult that generally (although not always) employs a counterweight for such purposes.
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Slava
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Re: trebuchet

Postby Slava » Wed Dec 10, 2014 8:38 am

Excellent way to put it into words. Thanks. You don't by any chance know what the one that was like a giant crossbow was called, do you?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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call_copse
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Re: trebuchet

Postby call_copse » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:16 am

That would probably be a ballista, or possibly the more personal precursor to the crossbow, the scorpio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista

I'm not clear if you would class a ballista as a catapult - I probably would just about.
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Slava
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Re: trebuchet

Postby Slava » Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:36 am

Thanks, Iain. That's the one I was thinking of.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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