Physics Project
Sources:
Web:
http://www.mrfizzix.com/archery/
http://library.thinkquest.org/27344/physics.htm
NOTE!: Use this particular link’s presentation!!!!!
Book:
Awesome Experiments in Force and Motion by Michael A. Dispezio, copyright 2006
Archery Techniques by Carolyn Frances Addison, copyright 1989
Science Projects About the Physics Of Sports by Robert Gardner, copyright 2000
Experiments With Sports by Salvatore Tocci, copyright 2003
Steps to Success Activity Series Second Edition ARCHERY: Steps to Success by Kathleen M Haywood and Catherine F. Lewis, copyright 1997
Principles Present In Archery:
Velocity
Force
Momentum
Angle in relation to Distance
Center of Balance
Sounds and vibrations
Projectile Motions
Work
Energy
Aerodynamics
Weight of arrows, length of feathers, amount of feathers, and height of feathers
Accuracy and Precision
Drag
Rough Layout
Introduction To Sport
Main Idea of The Sport, How is it played, what do you do? What are you going to tell me?
Physics Based Around the Setting of the Bow and Arrow
Physics Based around the Flight of the arrow
Sum it all up
Archery is a very demanding sport. It requires an attentive ear, awareness of surroundings, good vision, excellent judgment, a keen mind, and proper positioning. Many have the misconception that all archery consists of is seeing an arrow flying towards a target. This simple statement sheds only a thin stream of light onto the complexity that truly exists within archery. In reality, you have to take into effect your stance. Is the position of the bow correct with the body? The correct position to handle the bow is to first point it upwards at chest level. Put your dominate hand onto the string at the center of gravity, which is usually the middle, and the other hand on the shaft of the bow at the grip. Push forward on the shaft, while simultaneously using the hand on the string to pull backwards. While in this motion, readjust yourself to the position you need to shoot the target at. Make sure each foot is grounded securely. Be certain that the foot distance is approximately one to two feet. You want your center of gravity does not come off balance. Now examine the positioning of your arms. The hand on the string should be lightly touching anywhere between the jaw line and the cheek bone. This should create a straight line from the elbow of the dominate hand, to the fully extended arm holding the shaft. This position should create a ‘T’ like shape. (Haywood and Lewis 44) It is ideal for being able to aim accurately. Now, it is time to add in the arrow for the equation. Before you would be begin to draw the bow back, set the arrow onto the string. The nock, which is a removable piece on the end of the arrow with a slit for the bowstring and is usually plastic, should be mounted into the nock holder of the string. The nock holder is an extra attachment for the bow string which basically holds the arrow in place more efficiently than without. When completely drawn back, the arrow should sit within the arrow rest inside the shelf of the bow. It will be at level with your eyesight and parallel to the arm. The purpose of the arrow rest is to hold the front of the arrow in place and to keep it at a level 0 degree angle with the target. (Addison 29-31) Theoretically, if fired correctly, the arrow should be able to make a direct path, barring the absence of wind resistance, to the target. Now that it is time to fire, we can begin to see the physics behind archery.
In order to be successful in this sport, a vast amount of physics principles must be applied. The most obvious principle is energy. When you create tension in the bow string by drawing it back, you are building potential energy. This is true because of the bending of the bow itself. You create an arch like shape. The energy is concentrated onto the arrow. When you release the string, this then is converted to kinetic energy and the arrow zooms off to the target. By releasing the string, you also created a certain amount of force behind the arrow. This is also what is helping the arrow accelerate. (Gardner 33-38) What you are doing is human work. If this is true, why can no one throw it as fast or as far? Simply put, by using the bow, you are able to put a substantially larger amount of force behind the arrow. To digress a moment, lets examine the arrow while the arrow is actually in flight. As the arrow leaves, it is creating work. Work is equal to the magnitude of the force times the magnitude of the displacement of the arrow. This defines how much energy the arrow has. Also, the arrow is engaged in projectile motion. The reason the arrow is in projectile motion is because a projectile is any object that has been launched or thrown into the air and is subject to the forces of gravity. Thus, since an arrow is being launched by a bow, the arrow has now become the projectile in our equation. Since it is a projectile it is subject to the rules that govern this type of motion. One of these rules is a rule of angles. This rule dictates the smaller the angle, the farther the horizontal distance that the arrow travels will be. This means that if your target is very far away you will need to shoot it at a small angle for it to travel the some distance farther in the horizontal direction. However, if you have a target that is very close to you, then you will need to shoot your target at a larger angle for it to travel the exact same distance at the same velocity. When trying to do this, keep in mind that firing you in the air will cause the arrow to come down very quickly and can be highly dangerous. An interesting thing about arrows is that arrows need feathers to fly correctly. Even though that in reality, feathers will actually slow down the speed of the arrow, if you keep the feathers off, it will be imbalance; this means that the arrow could become too top heaven and begin to spin from nock to broad head. This is extremely dangerous. Also, feathers help create a spin to the arrow. This spin lets the broad head dig into its target so that only a skilled hand can remove it from whatever it is you are trying to shoot, this is also a big reason why you should never play around and act like you are trying to shoot a person with a bow and arrow. These spins can also cause some flesh to rip extremely easily. This ripping could possibly have enough momentum and energy to tear straight through certain materials. This is also why it is important to make sure your targets are very thick. Overall, archery is an extremely fun sport to partake in; the best part is that being armed with the knowledge of physics can turn even a blind person to a pro in no time flat.
References:
Addison, Carolyn. Archery Techniques.
Boston, Massachusetts: American Press, 1989.
Dispezio, Michael A.. Awesome Experiments in Force & Motion.
New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2006.
Tocci, Salvatore. Experiments With Sports.
New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney Mexico City New Delhi Hong Kong Danbury, Connecticut: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2003.
Gardner, Robert. Science Projects About the Physics of Sports.
Berkley Heighs, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2000.
Haywood, Kathleen M., and Catherine F. Lewis. Archery: Steps to Sucess. Second.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 1997.
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