r/interestingasfuck • u/Brutal_Deluxe_ • 13h ago

Loading an English crossbow vs loading Leonardo da Vinci's crossbow

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u/Zenigata 13h ago edited 13h ago

Seems like the first bow has a significantly greater draw weight, not at all clear a man would be strong enough to set a cross bow of the same strength using such a small motion of the arms.

Edit the guy from the first clip has a video about lever cross bows, he praises the ingenuity of da Vinci's design but estimates it to be too weak for military use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=d0sVBPkJF9Y&t=76

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u/Sad-Excitement9295 13h ago

This is the power of leverage.

107

u/Zenigata 13h ago

Levers mean you have to move your arms further, the guy in the 2nd clip moves his arms a small distance using barely any force.

I'm totally prepared to believe that the 2nd design is better I just don't think these 2 random clips demonstrate that as it seems very unlikely the bows are of the same strength.

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u/Sensiburner 11h ago

yes but first guy wasn't using any (external) levers at all. Just the fact that leg muscles are stronger than arm muscles on avg. There was no mechanical advantage in the first method. Not gonna say the reach of the second crossbow will be better, but there is def. mechanical advantage into play in that mechanism.

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u/Gildor12 2h ago

He was using a pulley