What does a catapult do?

A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile to a long distance .

A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile over a long distance . It works based on Newton's Law of Inertia ,

One of the main features of a catapult, is that it can store energy. Normally you can throw a stone only so far. But by putting your work in tensioning the catapult (and this takes more time) you can store the energy and release all of it in one go.

"Machines" like this include cross-bows, ballistas and others.