Comments by "EebstertheGreat" (@EebstertheGreat) on "The Archer's Paradox in SLOW MOTION - Smarter Every Day 136" video.

  1. The string is simply wound around the bow, so when you draw the string back then release it, it will always push the back of the arrow straight towards the bow. With a longbow, there is no way around that, the force will always be directed towards the middle of the bow. That's why the little toy has the suction cup arrow actually moving directly through the middle of the bow, because that is theoretically the most natural way to shoot a stiff arrow. For a real longbow, because the back of the shaft is pushed directly toward the middle of the bow but the front of the shaft is already next to the bow, the arrow has to deflect. It has nothing to do with aim, it will necessarily bend. If an arrow is too stiff to bend, it will simply rotate until either the fletching loses contact with the string and the arrow tumbles down to the side or the shaft loses contact with the bow and the whole arrow spins between the bow and the string, falling unpredictably right at your feet.
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