Limiting Variables:
In order to make this experiment as scientific as possible many of the variables involved were kept strictly controlled. The angle of the firing pin was kept constant so that the force necessary to release the sling was always the same. The sling length itself was kept constant, as was the place it was attached to on the arm, ensuring that the ball always traveled the same path. The trebuchet was never fired during inclement weather, and always on level ground. The arm of the trebuchet was always released from the ground, so that there was always the same amount of potential energy. The timer was always started and stopped at the same point in the flight of the basketball, and the range was always measured to the same point on the trebuchet.