[ELI5] why is dry firing a bow so bad for it? Does the arrow really make that much of a difference in that regard?

Question

[ELI5] why is dry firing a bow so bad for it? Does the arrow really make that much of a difference in that regard?

In: 2366

Answer 1

When you draw a bow you’re generating potential energy, when you loose (let it go) the bow, you are converting the energy into kinetic energy, this energy has to go somewhere, when firing an arrow, the kinetic energy will propel the arrow forward, when there is no arrow, the kinetic energy is absorbed by the bow. You basically have the power of an arrow hitting the bow, this is obviously not very good, and will damage the bow.