> On 1/27/06, Raymond Camden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > You know what I don't get? And this is probably a bit trivial to the
> > large argument. On the news today, they showed them celebrating by
> > shooting guns in the sky - yet doesn't that kill people? I mean, I'm
> > sure it's fun to shoot a gun, but hasn't someone told them they could
> > kill innocent people like that? It's plain stupid.

Yup - although where they land depend a lot on environmental factors.

Bullets are ballistic objects - they're flung from the gun - they don't have
their own power source.  Gravity begins acting on a bullet the moment it's
fired.  Wind and air friction have huge impacts.

This means, for example, that if you shot a gun parallel to the ground at
the same time you just dropped a bullet from the same height as the gun both
bullets would hit the ground at essentially the same time (assuming no wind
or other odd factors).

However it also means that in case of bullets shot into the air they come
down with only gravitational velocity.  Still dangerous to be sure but not
as dangerous as getting shot directly.

It's not unlike dropping thousands of loose ball-bearings or pinballs from a
low-flying plain.  Only ball-bearings are round where bullets tend to be
pointy.

Jim Davis


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:194864
Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5
Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5
Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54

Reply via email to