Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The bow and arrow are a projectile weapon that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures. A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord. As this string is drawn, energy is stored in the flexible limbs of the bow; the energy is transferred to the arrow when the string is released, projecting it much further than a weapon could be thrown. Today, bows and arrows are used primarily for hunting and for sport. Though they are still occasionally used as weapons of war, the development of gunpowder and muskets, and the growing size of armies, led to their replacement in warfare several centuries ago in much of the world. Someone who makes bows is known as a bowyer, and one who makes arrows is a fletcher-or in the case of the manufacture of metal arrow heads, an arrowsmith.