At a glance, how do you tell a longbow from a shortbow? I get

>>53687036
I think longbows are comparatively shallow when not drawn, but in a vacuum I guess it is hard to tell

File: Mongol_bow.jpg (54KB, 800x704px) Image search: [Google]

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>>53687036
Most effective shortbows, realistically speaking, are made of multiple materials and tend curve inwards towards the middle, like in pic related, for maximum tension force. Also, despite many fantasy games portraying shorter bows as the "stealthy" option, their real purpose was usually to allow shooting from horseback, where full longbows would be unwieldy and cumbersome.

Longbows usually have a more consistent curve to their shape, are usually between half and the entire height of the person using them, and usually aren't used from horseback. They also tend to have much further draw lengths.

File: Yabusame_01.jpg (412KB, 544x800px) Image search: [Google]

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>>53687246
Then the Japanese had to go and ruin the whole "can I use this on a horse" metric.

>>53687036
the longbow is the longer one

File: longbow-vs-shortbow2.jpg (94KB, 920x293px) Image search: [Google]

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>>53687036
The size difference is pretty substantial. One would be almost as tall as the wielder, the other distinctly not so. As well >>53687246 points out, shortbows also tend more towards recurve/reflex styles to get more power in their shot to make up for the smaller size and weaker comparative draw.

>>53687294
Gonna bop you one.

>>53687308
what he said.

Youd be able to fucking tell.

longbows are just that, fuckin long bows.

you would not be able to mistake one for a short bow, and vice versa.

>>53687289
To be fair, everything about Japanese archery is really weird compared to pretty much everyone else in the world.

>>53687289
If you look closely you can see the lower limb is shorter
They also had very weird pulls and weren't exactly the fastest thing around
Shinobi and turks used curvy, small bows, very hard, short pull, somewhat less effective at range, considerably more effective on horseback

AFAIK:

Shortbows: About 3-4 feet. For normal men/women this is from the tip of your head to a few inches below your waist.

Longbows: About 5-6 feet. This is closer to the full length of your body, and the draw weight is significantly greater.

>>53689327
i'm 5 feet tall

At a glance, how do you tell a longsword from a shortsword?

I get that one's going to be bigger, but if the two of them aren't right next to each other for scale or the user isn't human-sized, what other identifying features should I keep in mind?

>>53691032
Longsword's handles are designed for two handed grips, but will be proportionally shorter than the entire length of the blade. A shortsword handle will be comparatively longer when compared to the blade length.

In addition, a longsword's blade will appear thinner than a shortsword.

It's not a stupid question to ask and there are answers if you think about it.

>>53691032
Well, for one thing, if "long"swords are a thing, shortswords won't generally be, so you won't come across them in the first place.