I'll give this one a shot.......Big Duane, I pretty much agree with most of what you say I too don't think a compound bow is the same as a trad bow but I'll stop short of not calling it a bow. In order to understand a compound bow you must first realize that it STILL gets it's energy from it's limbs. Without tension in the limbs (like a long bow or recurve) it will not shoot an arrow one inch. The best and simplest way to describe cams is that they are levers. Levers used to enhance and accentuate to power in the limbs but make no mistake about it the modern compound gets it's energy the exact same way as a long bow does.....from the limbs. The cams will enhance and multiply it but without stored energy in the limbs you have nothing.....ie it's a bow.