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Technology2 mins ago
Sure I've just read this somewhere but need the answer verifying or proving false!
If a gun (lets say mounted 6' from the ground & horizontal) is fired (no obstructions) & at the same time an identicle bullet is dropped from the same height as the gun, which bullet lands first?
I seem to think that because Gravity acts equally on both projectiles, they land together. The forward momentum of the "shot" bullet makes no difference.
No best answer has yet been selected by deetyork. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.The two bullets would definitely land at the same time if there was no air present to cause drag. In reality, though, a bullet passes through the air with much less drag when travelling "forwards" (nose first) than in any other direction. So, if you dropped a bullet and it fell nose-first, it would land sooner than one that fell sideways.
The grooves inside the barrel of a gun cause the bullet to spin as it travels. The spinning keeps the bullet pointing straight ahead (gyroscope effect) to minimise forward drag. The effect is the same as dropping a bullet sideways as in the example above (it should fall slower). This leads me to believe that a bullet shot from a gun would land just a tiny bit before a bullet that was dropped.