Should i make sure my trebuchet releases at 45 degrees or less?

Question

Should i make sure my trebuchet releases at 45 degrees or less?

Answer 1

Back in 1740 studies at the British army facility at Woolwich proved that angles of less than 45 degrees produce the most distance. This was with cannon, but applies to any projectile. 35 to 40 degrees would be better. Maybe even lower if you have a lot of backspin (look up Magnus effect).

The 45 degree thing applies to shooting in a vacuum, so maybe on the moon it would be valid.

Answer 2

The smaller the angle, the more distance because of more airtime (to a certain extent).

Answer 3

If you're after maximum distance, then yeah 45 degrees would be right. Although air resistance and wind speed could come into play, usually resulting in a smaller angle than 45 degress.

Also, the elevation differences between the trebuchet and target will cause some variation.

Sorry, I don't know any specific equations or methods in calculation.

Answer 4

Depends on what you want to do with it.

medieval ones sometimes were set at a high angle to lob rocks over the town walls.

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