A ranged weapon is a weapon that allows the user to engage their target from a distance. This can be accomplished by many means. For more on ranged weapons, click the image.
----Elasticity: The use of elasticity by man has been utilized for ranged weapons for almost as long as ranged weapons have existed. Elasticity is best known for bows and arrows. The bow utilizes a piece of flexible wood and a string. The wood is put under stress then has the string tied to both ends. This allows the string to accelerate the arrow the maximum distance. The arrow is fired from the bow by first, putting it on the string and resting it against the wood, second, pulling the string back to flex the wood, and third, releasing the string which allows the wood to snap back into place which brings the string forward along with the arrow. The force needed to pull the string back is equal to that of the bow firing. The difference between these forces is that the first is over a longer period of time while the second is many times faster. Another example of elasticity is the ballista. The ballista works by using the rotational elasticity of rope to store the energy to fire a projectile.
----Explosive forces: Explosive forces work due to the chemical reaction that happens as a result of the ignition and burning of certain fuels. When the fuel, such as gunpowder, is burned, a large amount of head and gases, like carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, or hydrogen, is produced causing an increase in pressure. This pressure forces either the products out the back of a rocket or the projectile out of a barrel. The best examples of explosive forces in ranged weaponry is either guns or missiles. As of now, explosive forces are the most commonly used means to launch projectiles.
----Magnets: The common form of magnets used in ranged weaponry is electromagnets. These magnets are used most commonly in railguns. This works by having a magnetic projectile, such as a steel ball, in a barrel or track that is lined with electromagnets. The magnets all turn on accelerating the projectile forward. As the projectile passes, the electromagnets turn off to allow the projectile to continue to speed forward.
----Gravity: Gravity was a commonly used means of energy during the ancient greek to medieval times. The most common use of gravity was the trebuchet. The trebuchet used the weight of many heavy rock or men to pull down of the arm of the machine. The other side of this arm was longer and held a smaller rock that would be propelled forward at high velocity. This is also the force used in catapults. The way gravity works is by using the potential energy of a high massed object that is converted to kinetic energy of both the high massed object and the projectile. When the kinetic energy of the projectile is the highest, the projectile is released.
----Manpower: The use of manpower to launch projectiles was the first kind of ranged weapon. The first way used was probably simply throwing rocks. This later evolved to throwing spears and arrows with fletchings. The use of manpower is optimized by many of the other forces on this list. The use of elasticity with bows, for example, optimizes the ability of man to pull with great force, rather than throw/push with great speed. The force of the pull is stored in the elastic wood and is then released with a greater speed but an equal force. The other way manpower is used is through mechanical advantage. The atlatl is an example of this. The atlatl is a piece of wood that is used to extend the time a projectile is accelerated by the person. This allowed the projectile to travel at higher speeds as well as with higher force.
