Firing a gun into the air

[mrswdk]

What actually happens to the bullet?

[crispybits]

depends - if you're really good at aiming straight it falls back into the barrel of the gun eventually (assuming you hold the gun still and there's no wind)

otherwise it comes down somewhere - bullets don't have escape velocity

[Serbia]

If you're lucky enough to shoot it into a cloud, it disintegrates. Bullets cannot survive in cold vapors.

Bollocks.

[notyou2]

Well it depends on which pole is closer. If you are in the northern hemisphere, the bullet is drawn to magnetic north. The opposite is true if fired in the southern hemisphere.

[DoomYoshi]

It penetrates into the ether.

[betiko]

On a more serious note, check mythbusters. There is one episode dedicated to it.

[oVo]

In densely populated areas there is a potential hazard
to people, windows of autos don't fair much better.

[crispybits]

On a more serious note, check mythbusters. There is one episode dedicated to it.

http://mythbustersresults.com/episode50

[DoomYoshi]

[TeeGee]

On a more serious note, check mythbusters. There is one episode dedicated to it.

http://mythbustersresults.com/episode50

I prefer this one

[Metsfanmax]

Wiki:

Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.

[chang50]

Wiki:

Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.

'It happens',no big deal.

[betiko]

Wiki:

Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.

'It happens',no big deal.

How many due to the 4th of july and hillbillies firing their guns to celebrate? 5 de mayo works too!

[chang50]

Wiki:

Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.

'It happens',no big deal.

How many due to the 4th of july and hillbillies firing their guns to celebrate? 5 de mayo works too!

Not sure but nationally it must run into thousands per year if these figures from one Medical Centre are accurate.But it's worth it,

[hotfire]

ive been peppered by falling shotgun pellets fired from across the lake before...no injuries occurred..it was like a steel rain bouncing off of the brim of my hat...if i looked up i could damage an eye i spose but i didnt

[betiko]

yeah if it's shot straight in the air or close enough, the bullet will basically just come to you at gravity speed and won t be that dangerous, but if someone shoots at 45 degrees or so i guess it's lethal

[KoolBak]

Correct....straight up means straight down and terminal velocity isn't very high...same as throwing it up by hand...diagonally is deadly.....

[Anarkistsdream]

depends - if you're really good at aiming straight it falls back into the barrel of the gun eventually (assuming you hold the gun still and there's no wind)

otherwise it comes down somewhere - bullets don't have escape velocity

I will assume this was meant to be a joke, as it is obviously erroneous... Considering the earth turns while the bullet is in the air, it would NOT fall "straight back into the barrel." That is just laughable...

Good to know that just because you are good at Risk doesn't mean you are smart...

[notyou2]

depends - if you're really good at aiming straight it falls back into the barrel of the gun eventually (assuming you hold the gun still and there's no wind)

otherwise it comes down somewhere - bullets don't have escape velocity

I will assume this was meant to be a joke, as it is obviously erroneous... Considering the earth turns while the bullet is in the air, it would NOT fall "straight back into the barrel." That is just laughable...

Good to know that just because you are good at Risk doesn't mean you are smart...

But wait..............doesn't the bullet turn with the earth too???????

[Anarkistsdream]

depends - if you're really good at aiming straight it falls back into the barrel of the gun eventually (assuming you hold the gun still and there's no wind)

otherwise it comes down somewhere - bullets don't have escape velocity

I will assume this was meant to be a joke, as it is obviously erroneous... Considering the earth turns while the bullet is in the air, it would NOT fall "straight back into the barrel." That is just laughable...

Good to know that just because you are good at Risk doesn't mean you are smart...

But wait..............doesn't the bullet turn with the earth too???????

Not at the same speed...

If you are driving down the highway and throw a ball up in the air, the car continues to move faster than the ball going up...

Spin a globe and throw a penny at it... The penny hits the globe at a different place then where the globe was when the penny left your fingers...

This is also a reason planes do not fly straight from point A to point B, but instead have a curvature that allows the earth to rotate underneath it...

Basic physics...

[Anarkistsdream]

Let me finish this by saying it would probably only be millimeters... But to say it would fall EXACTLY back into the barrel is incorrect...

Since most of the physical changes brought on by the bullet will be due to wind shear, and that was already said to be nonexistent in this example.

[TA1LGUNN3R]

depends - if you're really good at aiming straight it falls back into the barrel of the gun eventually (assuming you hold the gun still and there's no wind)

otherwise it comes down somewhere - bullets don't have escape velocity

I will assume this was meant to be a joke, as it is obviously erroneous... Considering the earth turns while the bullet is in the air, it would NOT fall "straight back into the barrel." That is just laughable...

Good to know that just because you are good at Risk doesn't mean you are smart...

But wait..............doesn't the bullet turn with the earth too???????

Not at the same speed...

If you are driving down the highway and throw a ball up in the air, the car continues to move faster than the ball going up...

Spin a globe and throw a penny at it... The penny hits the globe at a different place then where the globe was when the penny left your fingers...

This is also a reason planes do not fly straight from point A to point B, but instead have a curvature that allows the earth to rotate underneath it...

Basic physics...

Not sure if this is correct. You're assuming that the rotational velocity due to gravity is lost, like twirling a rock on a string and letting go. Since gravity can be assumed to be constant, then the rotational velocity for both car/ball or bullet/rifle will be the same and so would have the same curvature assuming no interference from air resistance. The penny/globe analogy is incorrect as an analogy because you're throwing the penny with a straight horizontal motion towards an already spinning globe.

-TG

[Anarkistsdream]

I did realize the horrible penny/globe analogy... But I refuse to edit posts...

As I said, it is only changed by millimeters, but it is, in fact, changed. We talked about this in physics class years ago... Of course, I can't say my physics professor was awesome and always right, but we did several small tests which proved his hypothesis correct...

One of the tests was dropping a penny off the Empire State Building on a nearly windless" day, with the slight breeze moving west to east. The penny still fell far to the west of the building due to the Earth's rotation... (This was not a test WE did. I am from Oklahoma. But we watched the video of it from some professor at NYU or somewhere up there.)

[betiko]

I did realize the horrible penny/globe analogy... But I refuse to edit posts...

As I said, it is only changed by millimeters, but it is, in fact, changed. We talked about this in physics class years ago... Of course, I can't say my physics professor was awesome and always right, but we did several small tests which proved his hypothesis correct...

One of the tests was dropping a penny off the Empire State Building on a nearly windless" day, with the slight breeze moving west to east. The penny still fell far to the west of the building due to the Earth's rotation... (This was not a test WE did. I am from Oklahoma. But we watched the video of it from some professor at NYU or somewhere up there.)

I was the one who moved the penny, I was in NYC visiting that day and it fell on my head. It should ve landed East.

[Anarkistsdream]

I did realize the horrible penny/globe analogy... But I refuse to edit posts...

As I said, it is only changed by millimeters, but it is, in fact, changed. We talked about this in physics class years ago... Of course, I can't say my physics professor was awesome and always right, but we did several small tests which proved his hypothesis correct...

One of the tests was dropping a penny off the Empire State Building on a nearly windless" day, with the slight breeze moving west to east. The penny still fell far to the west of the building due to the Earth's rotation... (This was not a test WE did. I am from Oklahoma. But we watched the video of it from some professor at NYU or somewhere up there.)

I was the one who moved the penny, I was in NYC visiting that day and it fell on my head. It should ve landed East.

I knew it was you!! Damn Frenchman! hahaha