Ever seen a real-life Robin Hood at work? It's seriously impressive stuff, especially when you think about the mental acuity needed to point, aim, and shoot at a moving target in less than a second. And what Destin's done in the latest episode of SmarterEveryDay is awesome, because he's actually quantified how difficult that is to pull off.
Destin explains that in geometry, there's an equation used to describe something called a circle pack, and it's basically a way to figure out how many little circles you can fit inside one big circle. He uses this equation to figure out that you could fit 300 arrows (the little circles) into the space of a little wooden disc (the big circle). But what if you made the big circle even smaller, like, the size of a rubber ball? And then shrunk it down even further into the size of a golf ball?
According to geometry, says Destin, this golf ball-sized target is actually twice as hard to hit than the rubber ball. And does Byron Ferguson, the world's greatest archer, do it? #Nospoilers, but let's just say he makes it look easy. And what's crazy is he isn't even using a high-tech compound bow, with all kinds of devices that help you focus on your target. He uses a good, old-fashioned long bow that he designed himself. This thing has no sight aids attached, so all he's using is his incredible brain.
"Once he figures out where the target is going to be, he then has to be accurate enough, and well-timed enough with a 70-pound bow to then hit that target," says Destin.
Okay, so we've seen a wooden disc, a rubber ball, and a golf ball. What about something four times harder than a golf ball - a tiny, little Lifesaver. Watch the latest episode of SmarterEveryDay above to see Ferguson absolutely destroy a piece of candy mid-air. It's just bananas.
Source: SmarterEveryDay