Chapter 2 Section 2 The Invention of the Bow and Arrow

Bow and arrow has become a kind of equipment for people's entertainment and sports today, but before the invention of guns, it was an important long-range weapon for people to hunt and fight.Bow and arrow are composed of three parts: bow, string and arrow. The work done by people pulling the bowstring is converted into the potential energy of the drawn bowstring, which acts as a driving force; the drawn bowstring rebounds, and the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which ejects the arrow and shoots When reaching a certain distance, it acts as a transmission; the arrowhead (Zu family) acts as a tool, and it shoots at the prey or the enemy, which is equivalent to using a tool to strike the prey or the enemy.Therefore, it can be said that the bow and arrow has three major elements of the machine: engine, transmission mechanism and machine tool.In this sense, it can also be said that bows and arrows are the earliest machines invented by humans.

It is impossible to verify when the bow and arrow was invented.Chinese archaeologists found stone arrowheads in the Paleolithic human life site in Zhiyu, Shuoxian County, Shanxi Province. One end has a sharper tip, and the other end has been processed on both sides to form a slightly narrower arrow seat, so as to fit with the arrow shaft. tied together.This discovery shows that my country already had bows and arrows as early as 28,000 years ago. The use of bows and arrows has greatly increased the range of action of the human hand.From then on, people can make up for the lack of running as fast as wild animals, hunt long-distance or running prey, and even birds can also be used to shoot fish, thus promoting the development of fishing and hunting production.At the same time, bows and arrows can also more effectively resist the attacks of wild animals and protect their own safety.No matter from the perspective of technology history or social development history, the invention and use of bow and arrow can be called an important revolution.Of course, people at that time did not understand the complex scientific principles contained in the bow and arrow itself.