would it land on someones head? desintagreat on the way down? how high would it go?
2007-03-13 12:42:32 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
People are getting injured and killed all the time from idiots shooting guns in the air. It happens in various large US cities every New Years Day and every Fourth of July.
The explosion of the gunpowder forces the bullet out of the barrel at high speed, but gravity acts on it immediately. If you shot a bullet perfectly horizontally and dropped a bullet at the exact same time, they would both fall to the ground at the same time assuming the ground was level.
As you move the angle to the vertical, you are creating an arc. Both gravity and air resistance cause the bullet to slow down and at the top of the arc there is insufficient momentum to keep it going up, so it falls back to earth. Shooting at a 45 degree angle gives the most distance on the arc. Think of a water hose and you will get the same idea. Straight out, it falls to the ground fairly close to you at 45 degrees it goes farther away and as you approach 90 degrees it start to fall on your head.
Now physics has a formula for falling objects that show they increase in speed the longer they fall. However, that is in a vacuum. With air resistance there is a maximum speed. I don't know the exact number, but it is probably around 138 miles per hour. Maybe someone else that answers will have a better number. It is possible for the bullet to punch a hole in the roof of your house and still injure someone.
2007-03-13 13:06:49 · answer #1 · answered by MiddleAgeVet 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would come back down at the same speed as if you dropped it. It will continue to move forward at the same speed. So all these people who are "dying"(this is a bunch of bull) are dying from someone shooting up and over, not from shooting straight up.
It won't burn of in the atmosphere. The reason things burn up in the atmosphere is because the reach such a fast speed in space, outside of the atmoshpere, then when they hit the atmosphere the friction of the air molecules on the surface of the object is so great, it sets it ablaze.
2007-03-13 20:34:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you shot it up at exactly 90 degres then it will go up. When it is comming down it will reach its termanil violicty before it hits the ground. this means that because of air restance the object has a maximum speed. In this case it will come down slower then it went up and should only hurt you really bad if it hits you. But if you missed by even a fraction of a degree when you shot the gun then it will have sideways violicety and will be lethal. so as long as you shot it directly stright up you will be fine.
2007-03-13 20:09:04 · answer #3 · answered by Mr. Smith 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the TV show CSI it could come down and hit someone. It landed in the top of a women's head and killed her and the guy was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
2007-03-13 19:49:16 · answer #4 · answered by winter wonderland 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A bullet will land some were, But I have no idea if a buillet will land or not.
2007-03-13 19:52:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it can have the possibility of coming back down, but usually b/c of the pressure in the sky, it literally disintegrates. but i wouldn't try it b/c u could kill someone like that!!!
2007-03-13 19:54:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
if it goes up, it's comin down, i wouldn't do it
2007-03-13 19:50:50 · answer #7 · answered by tamboz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WUT COMES UP MUST COME DOWN SO WATCH OUT FOR RAINING BULLETS LOL
2007-03-13 19:58:11 · answer #8 · answered by slugbug 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋