Coryat's Crudities: Dædalus Experiment Dædalus’s experiment was to calculate the theoretical maximum distance attained by the firing of an arrow by the Robin Hood statue in the grounds of Nottingham Castle, and to locate the exact spot where it would land, measuring it with a length of string. String attached to Robin Hood's bow (left); theoretical resting place of the arrow (right) Findings The maximum distance was estimated to be 300 yards, given the 80lb pull of the bow. The string was attached to the bow and the roll was then gradually unravelled in the direction of the arrow, with a marker being placed every 20 yards. Due to a number of buildings blocking its true path, the string had to be taken very slightly off course (but only by a matter of degrees), before following a road for the full distance up the hill.