Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRackLover
That was my thinking as well. I keep hearing that crossbow bolts (20" arrows with fletchings) lose more speed (and have less energy) at further distances used for hunting (let's say 75 metres or less), but I don't see how it's enough to worry about if the total arrow weight is the same.
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if you really are interested in the physics of it....this is a good start...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_coefficient
from that we can see that the formula goes like this....
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BC_{Bullets} = \frac{SD}{i} = \frac{M}{i \cdot d^2}
and the "l" in that formula is length. longer length means higher ballistic coefficient which means less speed loss at further distance. now that formula specifically is designed for bullets, but it was the most simple explanation i could find.
more speed at further distance means more energy on impact....and in archery the energy measurement that matters is momentum, not kinetic energy. in that respect, i give the longer arrow from a vertical bow the edge.
now is the difference significant enough in the real world to actually mean anything? i know i certainly dont think so. with a range finder and a proper means of sighting....both weapons are capable of killing things out to 100 yards plus. the vast majority of archers however arent anywhere near that distance.
edit....i see the formula did not copy well at all to this forum, so look at the link to see it the way it is written.