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Bullet-shooting Crossbow
A bullet-shooting crossbow, also known as prodd, pelletbow, ballester, stone bow, or rock-throwing crossbow, is a modified version of the classic crossbow. The bow was usually constructed with wood or steel, depending on the preference. It typically utilizes bullets and stones as projectiles instead of the more traditional bolt or quarrel. History The crossbow has been around since the 7th century BC. China was the first to create the hand-held crossbow. The ammunition of choice was the bolt and was often made of bronze. It was used effectively as a weapon both in battle and for hunting. As powerful a weapon as the crossbow was, it lacked the capability of hunting smaller animals like birds, squirrels, and rabbits. As a weapon, the bolt crossbow was much more popular and therefore more widely developed than the bullet-shooting crossbow. Consequently, the standard crossbow was more frequently updated with new ammunition, attachments, and other improvements, leaving the bullet- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ammunition
Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of other weapons that create the effect on a target (e.g., bullets and warheads). The purpose of ammunition is to project a force against a selected Targeting (warfare), target to have an effect (usually, but not always, lethal). An example of ammunition is the firearm Cartridge (firearms), cartridge, which includes all components required to deliver the weapon effect in a single package. Until the 20th century, black powder was the most common propellant used but has now been replaced in nearly all cases by modern compounds. Ammunition comes in a great range of sizes and types and is often designed to work only in specific weapons systems. However, there are internationally recognized standards for certain ammunition types (e.g., 5.56×45mm NA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slingshot
A slingshot or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two tubes or strips made from either a natural rubber or synthetic elastic material. These are attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pouch that holds the projectile. One hand holds the frame, while the other hand grasps the pocket and draws it back to the desired extent to provide power for the projectile—up to a full span of the arms with sufficiently long bands. Other names include catapult (United Kingdom), peashooter (United States), gulel (India), (South Africa), or ging, shanghai, pachoonga (Australia and New Zealand) Use and history Slingshots depend on strong Elasticity (physics), elastic materials for their projectile firepower, typically vulcanization, vulcanized natural rubber or the equivalent such as silicone rubber tubing, and thus date no earlier than the invention of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jing Fang
Jing Fang () (78–37 BC), born Li Fang (), courtesy name Junming (), was a Chinese music theorist, mathematician and astronomer born in present-day Puyang, Henan during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). Although better known for his work in musical measurements, he also accurately described the basic mechanics of lunar and solar eclipses. Yijing The historian Ban Gu (32–92 AD) wrote that Jing Fang was an expert at making predictions from the hexagrams of the ancient ''Yijing''. A book on Yijing divination attributed to him describes the najia method of hexagram interpretation, which correlates their separate lines with elements of the Chinese calendar. Not only was he instrumental in the development of Yijing correlative cosmology, but he has also shed a new light on China's history, in particular Qin and Han. Music theory According to the 3rd-century historian Sima Biao, Jing Fang received an appointment as an official in the Music Bureau under Emperor Yu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring interregnum known as the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC), and it was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). The dynasty was briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD) established by the usurping regent Wang Mang, and is thus separated into two periods—the Western Han (202 BC9 AD) and the Eastern Han (25–220 AD). Spanning over four centuries, the Han dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history, and had a permanent impact on Chinese identity in later periods. The majority ethnic group of modern China refer to themselves as the " Han people" or "Han Chinese". The spoken Chinese and written Chinese are referred to respectively as the "Han language" and " Han characters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to Ecliptic, the plane of the Earth's orbit. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned (in syzygy (astronomy), syzygy) with Earth between the other two, which can happen only on the night of a full moon when the Moon is near either lunar node. The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's proximity to the lunar node. When the Moon is totally eclipsed by the Earth (a "deep eclipse"), "What is a deep eclipse? The smaller star is behind the bigger star" it takes on a reddish color that is caused by the planet when it completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon's surface, as the only light that is diffuse reflection, reflected from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season in its new moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to Ecliptic, the plane of Earth's orbit. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In #Types, partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth, a solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world. As such, although total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, they recur at any given place only once every 360 to 410 years. If the Moon were in a perfectly circular orbit and in the same orbital plane as Earth, there would be total solar eclipses once a month, at every new moon. Instead, because the Mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Astronomy
Astronomy in China has a long history stretching from the Shang dynasty, being refined over a period of more than 3,000 years. The Ancient China, ancient Chinese people have identified stars from 1300 BCE, as Chinese star names later categorized in the twenty-eight mansions have been found on oracle bones unearthed at Anyang, dating back to the mid-Shang dynasty. The core of the "mansion" (宿 ''xiù'') system also took shape around this period, by the time of King Wu Ding (1250–1192 BCE). Detailed records of astronomical observations began during the Warring States period (fourth century BCE). They flourished during the Han period (202 BCE – 220 CE) and subsequent dynasties with the publication of star catalogues. Chinese astronomy was equatorial, centered on close observation of circumpolar stars, and was based on different principles from those in traditional Western astronomy, where heliacal risings and settings of zodiac constellations formed the basic ecliptic framew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warring States
The Warring States period in Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and struggles for greater hegemonic influence among the various autonomous feudal states of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the eventual unification of China by the western state of Qin under Qin Shi Huang, who conquered all other contender states by 221 BC and found the Qin dynasty, the first imperial dynasty in East Asian history. While scholars have identified several different dates as marking the beginning of the Warring States period, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC, the first year of King Yuan of Zhou's reign, is the most often cited due to the paucity of preceding annals after the Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars. The Warring States era largely corresponds to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quarrel (projectile)
A bolt or quarrel is a dart-like projectile used by crossbows. The word ''quarrel'' is from the Old French ''quarrel'' (> French ''carreau'') "square thing", specialized use as ''quarrel d'arcbaleste'' (> ''carreau d'arbalète'') "crossbow quarrel", referring to their typically square heads. Although their lengths vary, bolts are typically shorter and heavier than traditional arrows shot with longbows. Parts of the bolt Point The point, also called the ''head'' or the ''tip'', is the pointed and weighted front end of the bolt, which is sharp and hard so that it can penetrate the target. Shaft The shaft is the main body of the bolt to which other parts of the bolt are attached. In modern times it is normally made of carbon fibre or aluminium alloy (or sometimes both aluminum and carbon fibre are used), and is very lightweight for its strength. Shafts come with varying degrees of stiffness — referred to as the "spine" of the bolt. The more resistant to bending a bolt is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Projectiles
A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found in warfare and sports (for example, a thrown baseball, kicked football, fired bullet, shot arrow, stone released from catapult). In ballistics, mathematical equations of motion are used to analyze projectile trajectories through launch, flight, and impact. Motive force Blowguns and pneumatic rifles use compressed gases, while most other guns and cannons utilize expanding gases liberated by sudden chemical reactions by propellants like smokeless powder. Light-gas guns use a combination of these mechanisms. Railguns utilize electromagnetic fields to provide acceleration along the entire length of the device, greatly increasing the muzzle velocity. Some projectiles provide propulsion during flight by means of a rocket engine or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
