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Consider the bow as used to fire an arrow. Pulling the string causes the tips of the bow to move inward. On release the stored energy in the tips of the bow energetically straightens the string, pushing the arrow in the direction opposite of the direction the string was pulled back.
Consider now
multiple bows, all connected to the same string. If the bows are semicircles this agglomerate would be a sphere. Pulling the string in any direction will cause tips of all bows to move inward. The arrow is still launched in the direction opposite to the direction of the string being pulled, but now with the kinetic energy of many bows, not one.
This would be useful in circumstances where available materials limit the amount of energy one bow can store - for example plastic bows, or bows made of reeds. It would be useful if larger single bows capable of storing more were not suitable - close quarters, or tiny archers. Maybe it would be useful as a crank operated large fixed installation although there you would be limited by string strength I think.
Plus it would look cool. The archer would hold any of the bows, which would be curving away from the grip and rest the arrow on the bow opposite.
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[+] I jumped right to the part where The Coyote ends up inside the spherical cage, rolling down the hill into traffic. |
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Why do bows have strings ? Why not just two full bow-arms joined by hinges. |
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I have a feeling that one bow made with twice the materials is stronger than two bows. It seems unproblematic to make crossbow prods far stiffer than can be manually bent. |
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//crossbow prods// They are actually called "couls"
if they are separate pieces, or a "bazon" if they are
made in one piece. |
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// Why not just two full bow-arms joined by hinges
// |
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The lighter the string, the more energy you put into
the arrow and the less energy you keep in the
vibrating string. |
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I should mention that another benefit of the spherical bow is that it can be dribbled as you run down the battlefield to your shooting position. |
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Maybe you could shoot it by lying on top of it to squash it down, rather than pulling back the string with your flimsy little fingers? |
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So you hold one of the handles, what happens to all the others? Are they attached to each other, in which case a gap opens up? Or are they all flapping around like a bundle of clackers? |
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Each component bow is attached on top and bottom to all of the others. Maybe by virtue of a small and radially perforated disk at top and bottom? |
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Other handles are left empty. Alternatively one or more associates could hold handles adjacent to yours and help you pull back the string, given how weak you have become in your dotage. |
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