Problem Solving Project:

Archery

Teddy Morris

Archery
The tandem of the bow and arrow has seen use dating
back 61,000 years as a hunting tool. Its creation and
use acts as a milestone in human progress because at
the time of creation its precision, range, and degree of
damage that it inflicted due to the arrows velocity had
yet to be exhibited by any weapon up to that point. As
groups of people began to become militarized, the bow
and arrow would be continuously adapted and used to
fight in battle. Attila the Hun and the Mongols were
able to conquer much of Asia and Europe due to the
success of archers mounted on horseback. Some may
say that the bow and arrow led the way for all
projectile weapons, making it possibly one of the most
important pieces of human progress in history.
Archery began to emerge as a sport during the Shang
Dynasty in China (1766-1027 B.C.), where three man
chariot teams would participate in archery
tournaments attended by nobles at court. Cultures in
eastern Asia greatly appreciated the skill needed to be
a successful archer. In Japan, some learn the martial
art of kyudo, or way of the bow. Archery was first
held as an Olympic event in 1900 and was contested
in 1904, 1908, and 1920, before being reintroduced
into the Olympics in 1978 with a team competition in

The arrows material is essential to the

success of the archers shot. In early times,
arrows were made from wood with stone heads
and used to hunt. However, as time advances,
and new materials are introduced, archers have
discovered that woods breakability and other
materials lack of excess weight and better
durability meant that the arrow was far from
perfect as it was. Carbon and aluminum act as
the crowd favorites for arrow material, with
most hunting arrows being made of carbon.
The materials weight and material contribute
equally to the flight of the arrow and therefore
directly affect its success.

Identify The Problem

The problem presented involves the properties of arrows
that lead to the best success rate by archers. One must learn
and understand the technology used in different arrows and
how technology has changed the sport. One must also use
linear and quadratic functions to determine the maximum
height of a shot arrow, as well as use function properties to
determine whether a linear or quadratic equation best fits the
relationship between the weight of an arrow and the length to
the center of where an arrow bends when a certain force is
applied.

Model

A: The arrow is released at the archers shoulder height of 1.39m.

This is pt. (0, 1.39)
B: The arrow hits a target 1.6m high and 18m away.
This is pt. (18, 1.6)
C: The same arrow that hit the target at pt. B would have hit the
ground here 45m away.
This is pt. (45, 0)

Setting Up a System of
Equations

Each of the three points given should be plugged into the standard form of a
quadratic equation.

Solving a System of
Quadratic Equations
Once the the three
points are used to set
up a system of
equations, an equation
to fit the path of the
parabola that goes
through the three
points can be found by
solving the system.

Finding Maximum Height

Line of Best Fit

The table examines the
distance to where the
center of the bend is in
an arrow when a
certain force is applied.
Although a linear and
quadratic regression
could be found using
the data, a quadratic
function most likely
better displays the
relationship in the
data.