Cannons

What are Cannons?

Cannons are large heavy pieces of artillery, usually mounted on wheels and formally used in warfare[1]. The first cannon was invented by Ctesibius of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. However, these cannons were not driven by gunpowder, but by compressed air[5]. The first noted use of gunpowder was a cannon made in China.  These cannons originally descended from the fire lance, which was a tube attached to the end of a spear and used as a flamethrower. Eventually, the paper and bamboo which was used to make the barrel of the cannon was replaced by metal[4].

Ancient Chinese Cannon
http://www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/Chinese%20cannon%201332b.jpg

Two main Types of Cannons:

Throughout history, the two main types of cannons used were the smoothbore cannon and the rifle cannon. The smoothbore cannons shot spherical projectiles, like the classic, round cannonball. The ammunition used by these types of cannons consisted of five different kinds: solid shots, shells, spherical case shots, canisters and graph shots. The solid shots were used for destroying walls, buildings and ships. Shells were hollow and were usually filled with gunpowder or shrapnel. Canisters and grape shot turned the cannons into shotguns, which could then be used to kill men and destroy smaller objects.
Rifled cannons fired cylindrical, bullet-shaped projectiles. The rifled cannons spun the projectile as they fired them, increasing the cannon's accuracy and range. These cannons were used to burrow into brick wall and then explode, causing more damage than the smoothbore cannon[2].

Smoothbore Cannon
http://mrjohnsonssclasses.
wikispaces.com/file/view/
cannon_bronze_napoleon.jpg
/141913603/cannon_bronze_napoleon.jpg

Rifled Cannon
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia
/commons/d/d0/CW_Arty_Whitworth.jpg

How to Fire a Cannon:

Cannons work very similarly to guns. To fire a cannon, a charge (like gunpowder) is loaded into the barrel. Then the cannonball is loaded in, on top of the charge. Finally, wadding is placed on top, with a fuse. The fuse is then lit, which sets the wadding on fire, which, in turn, ignites the charge. As the charge burns, gases are formed. These gases build up in the cannon until the cannonball is blasted out of the cannon[3].

http://www.gifmania.co.uk/weapons/cannon/cannon3.gif

References:

[1] "Cannon." Dictionary.com. Web. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cannon>.
[2] "How Does a Cannon Work?" Fort Moultrie. Fort Sumter National Park Service. Web. <http://www.nps.gov/fosu/planyourvisit/upload/how_does_a_cannon_work.pdf>.
[3] "Phil Mann's Full Mind." How To Fire A Cannon Correctly. Web. (Blog)<http://philmannsfullmind.blogspot.ca/2011/02/how-to-fire-cannon-correctly.html>.
[4] "The Medieval Combat Society." Medieval Cannon. Web. <http://www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/cannon.htm>.
[5] "Who Invented Cannons." Who Guides. Web. <http://www.whoguides.com/who-invented-cannons>.