Mass weight

[infoman jr.]

I hear that term all the time in the archery industry. Mass weight. What do archers think this means?

Weight is a force. Force is mass x acceleration. Mass is mass. So is it mass mass acceleration?

 

[BAMA BOW MERKER]

Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The weight of an object is the force of gravity on the object and may be defined as the mass times the acceleration of gravity, w = mg. Since the weight is a force, its actually should be measured in newtons. They basically want to find the perfect grain arrow with an optimal FPS to deliver a maximum ft.lbs

 

[infoman jr.]

I understand how the units work. Newtons is a metric measure of force. There's actually a difference in pounds force and pounds mass. The weight of something is measured in pounds force, or lbf. This is often abbreviated as simply lb (or pounds). That still doesn't explain mass weight.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

No disrespect meant, but I believe you're overthinking this. Mass weight in this case is not a transfer of energy, it simply is a scale of weight measurement--the bare bow.

Some people, very few actually, make their buying decisions based on the mass weight of the bare bow. Often, it is the more experienced archer or competitive shooter that even pays attention to it. A low mass weight bow, will typically be more unforgiving and less stable to shoot due to transitional forces applied to a bow. Comparatively speaking, too heavy of a mass weight will cause muscle fatigue resulting in inconsistent shoots.

There is a sweet-spot and I've found that to be 3.8-4.1lbs--for me at least. However, I also use front bars and rear bars that further allow me to spread weight out to stabilize and counteract transitional forces.

I hope this helps and it's a good overlooked topic, but it honestly it is not one of my deciding factors when looking at a new bow--especially since most bows now are in the 3.7-4.1lbs.

 

[infoman jr.]

My point is "mass weight" is a made-up term that seems to exist only in the archery industry. I just found it peculiar.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

My point is "mass weight" is a made-up term that seems to exist only in the archery industry. I just found it peculiar.

While what you are saying is partially true, it seems to be an archery-only phrase, but taking into account that we, as archers, are a significant cog in the assembly of gears that makes up the shot sequence, the term and it's implications apply. As I said earlier, it is a tool, just like when you decide which piston or camshaft to use in an engine when deciding what compression ratio you want.

 

[BAMA BOW MERKER]

My point is "mass weight" is a made-up term that seems to exist only in the archery industry. I just found it peculiar.

I misunderstood your entire question. I was thinking something totally different. I'm a science teacher lol