No! to Backyard Fireworks

[BrianR]

Cloud failed to mention t hat gunfire tonight is a popular diversion for some folks. I always get nervous when firearms are going off (into the air, natch) and those bullets have to come down somewhere...

I know that the projectile will have spent it's energy by the time it falls back to Earth, but what if the Yoyo who fired it was not at full elevation? It could be a line drive to my noggin!

And I live close to her now...closer than before.

Brian

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by BrianR

Cloud failed to mention t hat gunfire tonight is a popular diversion for some folks. I always get nervous when firearms are going off (into the air, natch) and those bullets have to come down somewhere...

I know that the projectile will have spent it's energy by the time it falls back to Earth, but what if the Yoyo who fired it was not at full elevation? It could be a line drive to my noggin!

And I live close to her now...closer than before.

Brian

I think you snoozed through physics class, Brian. If you shoot a bullet straight up in the air, it loses its energy at the apogee of its arc. When it reaches the ground it is going just as fast as when it left the barrel. A flat trajectory, not so.

Avoid the knuckle heads in the first place.

[BrianR]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

I think you snoozed through physics class, Brian. If you shoot a bullet straight up in the air, it loses its energy at the apogee of its arc. When it reaches the ground it is going just as fast as when it left the barrel. A flat trajectory, not so.

Incorrect, although the bullet will regain some momentum, it will not regain it all. Yes, there is a moment a the top of the arc when the bullet is motionless, and there is an acceleration curve on the way down, the final velocity is nowhere near the initial velocity. Had I not snoozed through physics, I could even offer equations to prove this. Someone else will have to do it for me.

[xoxoxoBruce]

32 ft per second squared, but ya gotta know how high it went.