Ok, if a bullet is fired out of a rifle, and one dropped, how do they land at the same time?

Question

I figured the dropped bullet landed first because if you take the friction and divide by mass and velocity of the bullet, it will show small return value. Hence, the dropped bullet landing first. I could be wrong.

Ok, I'm changing these details. Look, upon my thinking, I have stumbled upon a stupid theory. ( Bullet mass x n grams of gunpowder x velocity divided by gravitational force divided by frictional force). Is this better?

Also, I do believe if a car is to falling a a amount of speed, the cars mass, is virtually multiplied, because of the mass and velocity the car is DROPPED at, it all falls accordingly to this I would think.

Answer 1

They would land at the same time because the horizontal drop is the same for both... assuming they are set up to fire perfectly level, from the same height, everything starts at the same time, blah, blah, blah.

The horizontal acceleration due to gravity is independent of the vertical vector.

That's a geek way of saying that a car is just as heavy no matter how fast it is going... so a bullet fired level from 1 meter would hit the ground at the same time as a bullet dropped from one meter (given the assumptions). I would just land farther away from the muzzle.

Answer 2

The theory is that the pull of gravity is the same on both so they should hit the ground at the same time if the rifle barrel and the terrain are parallel. OF course, the terrain would have to follow the exact same radial distance from the center of the earth and there could be no hills or valleys that would even minutely effect the accummulated pull of gravity.
SO I have a gut feeling that the dropped bullet will hit first because to the aerodynamics of the bullet.
This may have actually been tested somewhere, somehow , but I do not know by whom nor why, unless as just an exercise.No doubt someone has done a computer symulation on it, but the variatons of the real world make it an improbably problem to answer empirically.

Answer 3

firing a rifle bullet horizontally and dropping one at the same time the bullet leaves the muzzle, both will hit at the same time. the downward vector is the same (gravity accellerating at 1/2 m v squared down) the bullet fired from the gun is slowing horizontally from air drag, but it's rate of fall is defined by gravity not by muzzle velocity. (the key assumption is horizontal as any deviation from exactly horizontal will put some portion of the escape velocity in the up/down direction, substantially altering the time it takes to fall down. There may be a VERY small component of lift due to the spin of the bullet if there is a cross wind, that could alter the fall rate, for the same reason a dimpled golf ball will travel further as the ball's spin will create lift, and a dimpled ball's spin has more effect than a smooth ball - emphasis on more - so the smooth bullet, with some rifling scars will generate a small amount of lift in a cross wind...) The spin effect is fairly negligable unless you are firing a 1000 yard shot in a very stiff cross wind. For our thought experiment, no wind, bullets hit the ground at the same time.... Gravity works on both the same.

Answer 4

They would hit the ground at the same time, just like my fellow answers said. To the guy above me, the weight of the bullet has no effect.

A 10lb bowling ball dropped beside a 1ton ball will hit the ground at the same time, assuming they were dropped at the same time from the same height.

Answer 5

Outbaksen is the only one that has it right. A bullet fired horizontally will have further to fall because of the curvature of the Earth, so it will hit later.

Answer 6

I believe the question does not have enough detail to answer. Consider the variables. Earth is not flat. Bullet weight is altered by process of being fired from a gun. The earth does not have constant gravity pull at all distances from its surface. If the bullet traveled far enough it would not land on the earth at all etc etc etc...

Answer 7

I fail to see what this has to do with astronomy. I have a better idea. Shoot the bullet straight up in the air and wait for it to hit the ground and then tell me how far it landed from where you are standing.

Answer 8

The geek's answer is correct.

Note that if it takes the dropped bullet one second to hit the ground, it will take the fired bullet one second to hit the ground, but will do so about 2000 feet away.

Answer 9

no they drop at the same time

just like a shell casing will hit the ground the same time a bullet will

the pull of gravity is the same no matter how fast you're going horizontally

Answer 10

Assuming the barrel of the rigle was horizontal, then yes, the two would land at the same time.