# Supersonic trebuchet hits Mach 1 using only gravity

Builder Tom Stanton has created a trebuchet that launches a projectile past the speed of sound, relying solely on gravitational potential energy. The design breaks a longstanding assumption that such devices cannot reach supersonic speeds. It marks a notable engineering milestone in DIY physics and projectile mechanics.

**Importance:** 2/5

## Sources

### Technology
- [Hacker News](https://www.techeblog.com/tom-stanton-supersonic-trebuchet/) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:08:51 +0000