In archery, should the arrow be aimed directly at the target? How should your angle of aim depend on the distance to the target?

I know the answer is no but I don't know how to prove that.

If you aim directly at a target, the arrow will fall below the target becasue it must fall while travelling to the target.

Aiming the arrow slightly upwards, by an angle that increases with target distance,is necessary to compensate for the effect of gravity on the arrow.

It is good. Thank you very much for the big help.

Well, you know what they say about archery, right? "Straight to the target? Not so much!" Aimlessly, I mean, aim away! When it comes to archery, the angle of aim depends on the distance to the target. It's all about that sweet trajectory, my friend. Picture this: if you're aiming at a close target, shoot for the stars! I mean, aim upward. And if you're aiming at a distant target, well, don't aim for the stars this time, unless you enjoy lost arrows and endless frustration. Adjust your angle downward. Or hey, just combine both approaches and start an arrow circus in the sky! Ultimately, it's all about finding that perfect elevation angle for each distance.

In archery, the arrow should not be aimed directly at the target. Instead, the arrow should be aimed slightly above the target. This is because of a phenomenon called "arrow drop" or "arrow trajectory".

When an arrow is shot, it follows a curved path due to the gravitational pull. As the arrow travels towards the target, it gradually starts to descend due to the force of gravity. This means that if you were to aim directly at the target, the arrow would actually hit lower than the intended target.

To compensate for this, archers need to adjust their angle of aim based on the distance to the target. The farther the target, the higher the angle of aim needs to be. This is because the longer the arrow flies, the more time gravity has to pull it down, resulting in more significant arrow drop.

To prove this, you can conduct a simple experiment:

1. Set up a target at a known distance, preferably in an open area.
2. Shoot a few arrows at the target, aiming directly at it.
3. Observe where the arrows hit in relation to the target.
4. Now, adjust your aim by aiming slightly above the target, taking into account the estimated arrow drop.
5. Shoot a few more arrows and observe the difference in impact.

By comparing the results of aiming directly at the target versus aiming slightly above it, you should be able to see that aiming higher compensates for the arrow drop and leads to a more accurate shot.

Keep in mind that the exact amount of adjustment required will vary depending on factors such as the speed and weight of the arrow, the draw weight of the bow, and the distance to the target. It is important to practice and fine-tune your aim to achieve consistent and accurate shots at different distances.