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Stirling Castle occupies a strategic position above the River Forth in Scotland. During the wars between England and Scotland, the castle was besieged several times, most notably in 1304 by the armies of Edward I of England. After four months of fruitless bombardment, Edward ordered the construction of the world’s largest trebuchet, the Warwolf. However, the castle surrendered shortly before the mighty machine was completed. Undeterred, Edward ordered that nobody could leave until Warwolf had a chance to lob a few stones, cutting through the castle walls “like an arrow flying through cloth.”



Students can reconstruct the siege of Stirling Castle with the Trebuchet Gizmo. They can use the DESIGN tab of the Gizmo to construct their trebuchet and then test it in the field of battle. Along the way, students will learn about potential energy, kinetic energy, energy conversions, and projectile motion. They will also engage in the engineering process as they test and modify each design. The Gizmo even comes with a side of humor! (For Monty Python fans, try holding the “shift” key after launching the payload.)