Which bullet will hit the ground first?

Question

Which bullet will hit the ground first?
If I release a bullet from one hand and simultaneously fire a bullet from a gun in my other hand, which is aimed at the horizon, which bullet will hit the ground first?

Answer 1

same time.

this is a classic question to test fundamental physics understanding. for the sake of this purpose the question always comes with the reminder that the ground is flat and that there is no aerodynamic influences whatsoever. that means no frictional heating/slowing/terminal velocities etc.

the fired bullet indeed has a higher velocity because it is shot not dropped, but remember that this high velocity is not what causes it to fall. gravity is the concept being tested here. since both bullets start at the same height, gravity accelerates them downwards equally, and both hit the ground at the same time.

this happens regardless if one projectile is a 10-inch cannon shot horizontally at 2km/s and the other is a peanut dropped from the same height.

the only way that the shot projectile reaches the ground earlier or later than the dropped one is the reason that the angle of projection was not perfectly parallel to the ground, ie, the gun was aimed slightly upwards or downwards giving the projectile a vertical velocity component that could act with or against gravity.

now you know.

Answer 2

The theoretical answer, as others have given, as that the two bullets hit the ground at the same time.

In practice, however, I am sure this will not happen - the bullet fired from the gun will travel a considerable distance, during which time any of a thousand possible things can happen that will cause the bullet to shift upward slightly or downward slightly. We're dealing with fuzzy logic here - fire the gun 100 times exactly the same way, and the bullet will never stay in the air for the same length of time or travel the same distance.

In summary, the answer to your question is: Either bullet can hit the ground first. It depends.

Answer 3

We're assuming they both start from the same height, right?
If the bullet is fired from the gun at a trajectory level with the ground, both will hit the ground simultaneously. The forward momentum of the fired bullet does not counteract gravity. The only difference is that the fired bullet is traveling forward AND downward; the downward accelaration due to gravity is not affected by forward motion.

Answer 4

The classic answer is that gravity will pull both bullets down at the same rate despite any or no horizontal velocity. Of course, the nits are that the bullet in the gun can not begin to fall until it leaves the gun barrel, you must fire the gun horizontally (tangent to the earth not "at the horizon" which may affect your aim because of your elevation and the fired bullet will interact with far more air (wind?) which is why marksmen use "Kentucky windage" to compensate for air movements.

Answer 5

Both will hit the ground at the same time, assuming the bullet aimed at the horizon hits nothing.

Gravity has the same effect on stationary and moving objects.

Answer 6

They will each hit the ground at the same time. The x acceleration and velocity are independent of the y acceleration and velocity...gravity acts the same on each bullet.

Answer 7

they will hit the ground at the same exact time because the force of gravity is pulling each bullet down to the center of the earth with the exact same force (9.81 m/s^2)

Answer 8

The fired bullet. It has a higher starting velocity.

Answer 9

both will hit at the same time ...if you drop the bullet from the exact same height as the gun's barrel .

Answer 10

aimed at the horizon. the one in your hand will hit the ground first since it has only a downward velocity.