Siege weapons ready for Merced College contest

Basketballs will be hurled through the air like so many medieval missiles during Merced College’s springtime Siege Weapons Competition this month.

The competition is part of the curriculum for physics students in professor Lana Jordan’s class. She has been known to call it her favorite day of the year.

The castle siege weapons competition is set for 12:30 to 4 p.m. April 22 at the Merced College soccer fields, which are next to the Tri-College Center building on the 3600 M St. campus.

Students in teams build a catapult or trebuchet that is supposed to send a basketball through the air for at least 15 meters (about 16.4 yards or nearly 50 feet). If they can hit that mark, they get an A for the assignment.

The team that can launch its basketball the farthest is deemed the winner and typically gets victory T-shirts.

The trebuchets cannot use elastic, springs, chemical reactions or electricity, and materials cannot cost more than $100.

Typically, dozens of students can be seen on the field launching and relaunching the basketballs to try to beat each other. Some are just happy to do enough to get an A grade.

The devices use a variety of techniques to make the weapons operate, whether that be a heavy counterweight, tension from twisted ropes or muscle power. A small crowd of professors, family members and other spectators usually gathers to watch the controlled mock warfare.

For more information, call the Merced College Public Affairs office at (209) 381-6470.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Siege weapons ready for Merced College contest."