penetration formula?

Question

Who knows a general penetration formula for projectiles?

Who knows the penetration formula for projectiles?Please help!!!

Answer 1

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Do you mean penetration in terms of a projectile embedding itself in a target, or just in terms of horizontal distance traveled? If it's just distance traveled, you need to start by separating the given initial velocity (normally a magnitude and angle above the horizontal) into horizontal and vertical components. We normally assume that the only force acting on the projectile is gravity. So we simply calculate the time it takes for the projectile to hit the ground, considering only its initial upwards velocity. Then, we multiply that time by the initial horizontal velocity, which we assume remains unchanged, to get the total horizontal distance traveled. The depth to which an embedded projectile penetrates a target is a much more complicated question.