Basic Design and Use of Bow and Arrow
– A bow consists of a semi-rigid but elastic arc with a high-tensile bowstring joining the ends of the two limbs.
– An arrow is a projectile with a pointed tip and a long shaft with stabilizer fins (fletching) towards the back.
– To load an arrow for shooting, the archer places it across the middle of the bow with the bowstring in the arrow’s nock.
– The archer holds the bow at its center with one hand and pulls back the arrow and the bowstring with the other hand.
– When the archer releases the draw, the limbs of the bow convert stored energy into kinetic energy, propelling the arrow forward.
History of Bow and Arrow
– The oldest known evidence of the bow and arrow comes from South African sites dating back approximately 72,000-60,000 years ago.
– The use of the bow seems to have spread to every inhabited region after the end of the last glacial period, except for Australasia and most of Oceania.
– The earliest definite remains of bow and arrow from Europe date back to 17,500-18,000 years ago.
– The bow was an important weapon for both hunting and warfare from prehistoric times until the widespread use of gunpowder weapons in the 16th century.
– Organized warfare with bows ended in the early to mid-17th century in Western Europe, but it persisted into the 19th century in Eastern cultures.
Construction of Bow and Arrow
– A modern bow consists of a pair of curved elastic limbs joined by a riser.
– Self bows, like the English longbow, are made of a single piece of wood comprising both limbs and the grip.
– The bow string exerts compression force on the belly of the limbs and places the back under tension.
– The draw weight of a bow is the force required to hold the string stationary at full draw and determines the power of the bow.
– The various parts of the bow include the upper limb, lower limb, nock, riser, grip, arrow rest, and bow window.
Types and Characteristics of Bow and Arrow
– Bows can be classified based on materials used, draw length, side profile, and limb cross-section.
– Common types of bows based on side profile are straight bows, recurve bows, and reflex bows.
– Bows can be self bows made from one piece of wood or composite bows made of multiple materials.
– Longbows have rounded limbs and are usually over 1.5m long.
– Flatbows have rectangular limbs and were traditional in Native American societies.
– Takedown bows can be disassembled for transportation.
– Compound bows have mechanical amplifiers (cams) for easier drawing.
– Crossbows are mounted horizontally and shoot bolts or quarrels.
– Footbows are used with the legs and arms while lying down.
Other Aspects of Bow and Arrow
– Arrows consist of a shaft, arrowhead, fletchings, and a nock.
– Arrowheads are attached to the front end of the arrow shaft.
– Bowstrings have a nocking point and serving to protect the area.
– Types of arrowheads include bodkins, broadheads, and piles.
– Traditional materials for bowstrings include flax, silk, hemp, animal guts, and sinews.
– Modern bowstrings are made of materials like Dacron, Kevlar, and steel wires.
– The longbow was England’s principal weapon of war from the reign of William the Conqueror until the end of the Middle Ages.
– Bow and arrow used in modern warfare by special forces for specific tactical purposes. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_and_arrow
The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the practice was common to many prehistoric cultures. They were important weapons of war from ancient history until the early modern period, where they were rendered increasingly obsolete by the development of the more powerful and accurate firearms. Today, bows and arrows are mostly used for hunting and sports.
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Archery is the art, practice, or skill of using bows to shoot arrows. A person who shoots arrows with a bow is called a bowman or an archer. Someone who makes bows is known as a bowyer, someone who makes arrows is a fletcher, and someone who manufactures metal arrowheads is an arrowsmith.