The straight dope: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a950414b.html
I like the quote at the end "So, Middle Eastern men, gang bangers, etc., listen up! It has been scientifically shown that firing guns into the air for entertainment is not a good idea. Please stop right away. Also knock off with the holy wars and random violence. Thank you." -Cameron On 1/27/06, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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:5:194866 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
