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Have you ever sat down and thought “I wonder if a trebuchet could launch a projectile at supersonic speeds?” Neither have we. That’s what separates [David Eade] from the rest of us.

Videos showed what is becoming a familiar sight among neighbors: A projectile, launched from the ground, which strobes as it shoots into the air before ending in a loud boom and a bright explosion.

The algorithm effectively captured and analyzed the rotational motion of the projectile, providing precise measurements of both the scanning angles and spin rates. The low measurement errors ...