Editing Compound bow (section)

{{Short description|Type of bow for archery}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{original research|date=April 2017}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2012}}
}}{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Compound bow
| image              = [[File:Compound Bow full.jpg|175px]]
| type               = [[Bow and Arrow]]
}}

[[File:2013 FITA Archery World Cup - Women's individual compound - Semifinals - 18.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Archer [[Erika Jones]] shooting a compound bow at the [[2013 Archery World Cup]]. The bow has the axle attaching the limb to cam mounted at the edge of the cam as opposed to the center.]]

In modern [[archery]], a '''compound bow''' is a [[Bow and arrow|bow]] that uses a levering system, usually of cables and [[pulley]]s, to bend the limbs.<ref>Paterson, W. F. (1984). [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofa00pate ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'']. St. Martin's Press. [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofa00pate/page/38/mode/2up p. 39].</ref> The compound bow was first developed in 1966 by [[Holless Wilbur Allen]] in [[North Kansas City, Missouri]], and a US patent was granted in 1969. Compound bows are widely used in target practice and [[bowhunting|hunting]].

Compound bows are typically constructed of man-made materials such as fiberglass and carbon fiber, while traditional bows and warbows usually are entirely or partially made of wood or bamboo.

The pulley/cam system grants the user a [[mechanical advantage]], and so the limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer than those of a [[recurve bow]] or [[longbow]]. This rigidity makes the compound bow more energy-efficient than traditional bows, as less energy is dissipated in limb movement. The higher-rigidity, more advanced construction also improves accuracy by reducing the bow's sensitivity to changes in temperature and humidity. In literature of the early 20th century, before the invention of compound bows, [[composite bow]]s were described as "compound".<ref>[http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/gri/carter/135z.html "Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation"]. The notes were made in the 1920s and describe composite bows as "compound"; the modern compound bow did not exist at this time.</ref>