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Johnleprekan
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Can someone tell me what generates more momentum, an arrow fired from a yew long bow at its peak strength or a sword thrust from a longsword and rapier too at its strongest?
Thank you.
Thank you.
jbriggs444 said:The first reference I Googled up for the arrow case talked about arrow energies in the 65 foot-pound range at the high end and mentioned a 400 grain (~ 1 ounce) arrow at 250 feet per second as typical. This would be for a modern hunting bow, NOT a yew bow.
The momentum of the arrow in such a case would be 14 pound feet/second.
The first reference I Googled up for the rapier case was from the "Deadliest Warrier" TV show and talked about a measured thrust speed of 5.9 feet per second at the high end. A different reference talked about weights of around 1 kilogram.
Accepting both figures, a rapier thrust would be about 13 pound feet/second.
I am unable to find speed figures for a long sword. Apparently rapiers are in the 2 to 2.5 pound range and longswords are in the 3 to 3.5 pound range. One would expect the deliverable momentum for the longsword to be somewhat higher, perhaps 15 pound feet/second.
Given the low accuracy of these figures, I would say that the result is a tie.
Like Simon, I am unclear on why you are after momentum figures. At first glance, it does not seem like a useful statistic.
d3mm said:It's not really useful to compare the total energy as the wounding characteristics of each weapon are very different.
Consider a draw cut where the blade of the longsword is placed against the surface to be cut, and drawn backwards. Like a saw. Or a person eating steak. The blade will cut, and is it meaningful to compare the energy of that (almost zero) that with a gun shot?
A high power bullet will often pass straight through a target, making it less useful than a less energetic one, which will be stopped and transfer all of its energy into the target. Through penetration with a broadhead arrow is less of a problem since the arrowhead will have 3 inch long blades coming out of the side and make a much larger wound than any bullet.
Suffice to say that despite popular belief, it's still not a good idea to discount the effectiveness of ancient weapons.
Do not attend gsw scenes if you can help it. Exit wound is bigger than the entry.High powered bullets can do much more damage than larger arrows because they will create a powerful shockwave in the body, since flesh is mostly incompressible.
Momentum is a measure of an object's motion, and it is directly related to the mass and velocity of the object. Therefore, the momentum of an arrow or sword thrust is determined by the mass and velocity of the arrow or sword.
The momentum of an arrow or sword thrust can be affected by several factors, such as the mass and velocity of the object, the angle at which it is launched or thrust, and any external forces acting upon it.
Momentum plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of an arrow or sword thrust. A higher momentum means the object will have more force upon impact, making it more likely to penetrate or cause damage to the target.
Yes, the momentum of an arrow or sword thrust can be increased by increasing the mass or velocity of the object. This can be achieved by using a heavier arrow or sword, or by increasing the force used to launch or thrust the object.
The momentum of an arrow or sword thrust can vary greatly depending on the specific weapon and circumstances. However, in general, arrows and thrusts from swords tend to have less momentum compared to other weapons such as bullets or axes, due to their smaller mass and slower velocities.