What name is given to the study of the movement and propulsion of projectiles?

Answer 1

Ballistics (gr. ba'llein, "throw") is the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and hurling projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.

Ballistics is sometimes subdivided into:

Internal ballistics, the study of the processes originally accelerating the projectile, for example the passage of a bullet through the barrel of a rifle;
Transition ballistics, the study of the projectile's behavior when it leaves the barrel and the pressure behind the projectile is equalized.
External ballistics, the study of the passage of the projectile through space or the air; and
Terminal ballistics, the study of the interaction of a projectile with its target, whether that be flesh (for a hunting bullet), steel (for an anti-tank round), or even furnace slag (for an industrial slag disruptor).

Answer 2

Ballistics, indeed:

Classical mechanics deals with the motion of rigid bodies (as opposed to fluids and gases) at "classical" conditions (as opposed to quantum mechanics which applies at microscopic scales and reletivity theory that applies at exremely high velocities).

Ballistics is the sub-discipline of classical mechanics that deals with the movement of non-propelled objects (typiccaly misiles and projectiles) in a gravity field. Hence, a ballistic missile is a missile that moves only under influence of gravity (and air resistance etc.) as opposed to e.g. a cruise misile.

Answer 3

Ballistics. It's divided into three parts: Internal ballistics (what happens inside the 'gun' that fires the projectile), exterior ballistics (what the projectile does in flight and the effects of various forces upon it), and terminal ballistics (what the projectile does when it strikes something)


Doug

Answer 4

Physics - specifically, newtonian physics.

Answer 5

Ballistics.

Or, a more generalized subject, mechanics.

Answer 6

dynamics - moving objects

statics - non-moving objects

Answer 7

kinematics - another possible answer

Answer 8

mechanics....(not sure)