LongBows and Archers

[JCoyote]

its probably possible for a archer to do that but it would be inaccurate and the distances involved would be make it completely different than what they do with artillery.

The distance involved is still enough that the technique wouldn't apply to firing on a single individual. Forget raising a shield, you'd have time to simply step away from the point of impact.

[Ars Moriendi]

I'm no physicist, but since someone put up the speeds of 45 and 60 m/s of a longbow arrow, I'll use 50 m/s as a mean speed throughout the arrows flight for the example. If the archers started shooting at extreme range, which has been stated as 250m by some sources(+/- 50m by some), that would give the arrow(please feel free to do real calculations to correct me) an estimated parabolic flight distance of some 350-400m.

Wow, did you just guessed that ??? 'Cause you're darn close :
at 250m range, an arrow fired at 60 degree angle will travel exactly 345m (parabolic trajectory, drag effects on flight path ignored).

[joe4iz]

I saw on the History Channel a program about bows etc. A fletched arrow spins in the air similar to a rifled bullet.
What affect would trajectory have on that? I would think it would spin faster in descent at a higher rate of pitch. Does anyone know?

Interesting topic regardless...

[Lord Fluffy]

One would think that the spin is related to arrow speed and shape of the fletchings. I have used feathers and spinwings on mine, the difference between the two is huge. The maximum rpm should happen right after the arrow leave the string. This is the highest velocity the arrow will have. But yes, if shot at extreme angles like straight up. The spin should slow down at the top, you can see this clearly with fluflus with them huge feathers, then as it plunges back down to earth it would pick up more spin but not more than at the beginning.

@Mad Cat: I've seen that on one of the channels, this gun from one of the European countries I forgot which, can fire 6 rounds at 6 different angles and have em all land on the same spot at the same time. Pretty cool stuff.

[Zajuts149]

Wow, did you just guessed that ??? 'Cause you're darn close :
at 250m range, an arrow fired at 60 degree angle will travel exactly 345m (parabolic trajectory, drag effects on flight path ignored).

It was more of a guestimation. I'm no genious, though practical math and spatial physics is fairly easy for me to understand. It's the theoretical stuff that makes me go

I figured a parabolic curve wouldn't double the flight distance to 500 m, so i pulled 100m from each extreme (250m and 500m) and guessed at the 50m between.

[pike master]

so whats the verdict did longbowmen do it or not? nosy noses wants to nose

[Lord Fluffy]

I think the majority agrees that an army where each individual longbowmen fire 2 shots, one high one low in rapid succession is not real.

The other one where the group fire half high and half low is likely, but the question is the intent. Is it done intentionally to confuse the enemy's defense or just out of practicality/safety. Assuming the archers are arranged in block formation, tightly packed, as in the game. As the enemy gets closer, archers in the front still get to shoot, but the ones 3-4 rows back can't shoot straight and has to arc their shots over the heads of their comrades.