In a vacuum, you drop a bullet and at the exact same height shoot a bullet, which one hits the ground first?

Answer 1

If you shoot the bullet toward the ground, the one you shot. If you shoot it horizontally, they both hit at the same time. The horizontal velocity has nothing to do with how fast it falls.

Answer 2

If you shoot the bullet horizontally, it will drop at the same rate as the one you drop.

Of course a large number of assumptions haveto be made:

- the ground must be at the very exact same elevation
- the distance traveled by the bullet must be small enough so that the curvature of earth is negligible
- the speed of the bullet must be small enough so that no centrifugal force is exerted on the bullet (with sufficient speed it could orbit the earth for ever)

Answer 3

d = Vot + 1/2 a t^2

if you hold a bullet and drop it without adding any verticle velocity Vo = 0

if you shoot your gun up or down, Vo is non zero
if you shoot your gun horizontally, Vo = 0

only if the gun is shot horizontally is d = 1/2 a t^2, and t is same for both events.

ie they hit the ground at the same time if you shoot the gun horizontally.


dutch....
why did you say that gravity would not affect the bullet?

Answer 4

depends on the angle the bullet leaves the gun. If fired horizontal both should hit the ground almost the same time. If fired vertical approximately 2 times...james

Answer 5

If you mean shooting horizontally, they will both hit the ground at the same time.

If you shoot the bullet towards the ground, then it will hit the ground first.

Answer 6

They will hit the ground at the exact same time.

Answer 7

IF ITS A TRUE VACUUM AND YOU SHOOT HORIZONTALY THEN THE BULLET SHOULDN'T HIT THE GROUND AT ALL CONSIDERING THERE IS NO AIR INSIDE THE VACUUM AND GRAVITY WOULDN'T AFFECT THE BULLET SO I WOULD SAY THE ONE YOU DROP

Answer 8

they will fall down at a same rate because there wont be any resistance between them. there won't be any air in a vacuum.