P1 4 Beau and Arrow

Abstract

This paper explores the possibility of firing an arrow to split a stationary arrow in half. Considering Newtonian projectile motion, the initial velocity of the arrow was determined to be 125 ms−1 . This is within the expected range of velocities for recurve bow and longbow archers. An optimum firing angle was found to be 44.6◦ . Forces acting within the system demonstrate that an arrow made of iron and poplar could split the stationary arrow under the right conditions.