GwinBlade & NeNova
GwinBlade GwinBlade
NeNova NeNova
GwinBlade GwinBlade
Hey NeNova, I’ve been thinking—what would happen if you took a medieval trebuchet and launched it into the vacuum of space? Would the stone still follow the same arc, or would the absence of air change its path? It’s a curious mix of history and cosmic physics.
NeNova NeNova
In a perfect vacuum the stone would feel nothing but the force it got from the sling. No air drag means the velocity you give it stays the same until another force acts. If you’re still under Earth’s gravity, the path would be a clean parabola—just the textbook arc, no wobble from wind or lift. But if you were launching from orbit or somewhere with negligible gravity, the stone would simply keep moving in a straight line once released, because there’s nothing to pull it back. So the arc depends on whether gravity’s still there, not on the air.
GwinBlade GwinBlade
You’re right about the arc, but remember a trebuchet’s power comes from the counterweight’s gravity. In a true vacuum you’d lose the air resistance that slows the stone, so it’d travel farther, but the basic parabolic motion would still be governed by whatever gravity you’re under. It’s the same principle as a catapult, just cleaner in the air.
NeNova NeNova
Exactly, the counterweight still pulls it, but without drag the stone keeps its speed longer. So in Earth‑orbiting space you’d see a tighter, farther‑rising arc—no air to sap the kinetic energy. In a place with little gravity, the stone just glides straight until something else tug‑s on it. It’s a neat blend of medieval engineering and vacuum physics.
GwinBlade GwinBlade
A clever thought, but even a seasoned trebuchet master would be astonished by a stone launched into vacuum. The counterweight still works, yet the lack of air means the stone flies farther and faster than any medieval siege engineer would have imagined. Still, the principle remains: gravity pulls it down, the counterweight pushes it up, and the path stays a clean parabola—just cleaner, with no drag to spoil the arc.
NeNova NeNova
Yeah, in space a trebuchet would feel like a super‑charged catapult—no drag to slow the stone, so it shoots farther and faster, but still a clean parabola under the gravity you’re in. Just imagine a medieval engineer watching a stone glide like a comet; the principle holds, the path just gets a cosmic makeover.