Preshow 140 topic bullet curving..
Hey guys, just finished listening to the preshow for show 140 and thought I'd give my 2 cents.
I haven't seen the mythbusters on this but my take on it is this....
I'm sorry but Jeff is wrong. Even if you could apply a significant sideways force on the bullet as it exits the barrel the bullet won't curve. It will leave the barrel and then travel from the barrel in a line that is not parallel to the barrel as the bullet left.
i.e.
It would do this
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not
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In order for it to curve you would need a force that is continually being applied to the bullet for it to curve. It works with a baseball because of the ball spinning and creating an effect similar to the wing of an airplane. In the case of the bullet nothing is acting on the bullet as it travels and so it travels in a straight line, that line might not be parallel to the barrel of the gun but it will still be a straight line.
Now in theory, if you could spin the bullet in the same way you do a baseball you could get it to curve, but you need to get enough spin and\or the bullet would have to be shaped so that the spin caused enough pressure differential to be significant in relation to its forward speed, which would be very difficult for something as small, as smooth and as fast as a bullet.
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Ok so maybe I was wrong by
Ok so maybe I was wrong by using the term curve. I meant to be able to hit an obstrcted target if shot traditionally. lets see if I can illustrate what I had in mind.
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This would be the traditional shot. but say 3 ft to the right (an arm length) is enough to get an angle on the target. but you don't have time to take the step. An amazing lucky and in-humanly strong swing of the gun could allow you to get the angle without moving.
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Even though the gun is pointed to the right, the bullet tracks back to the left because of the sideways motion on the gun and shell, and bullet when it is in the gun.
I'm with Jeff on this one.
I'm with Jeff on this one. Even if his terminology may have been a little off, based on all the Physics I've had/read I think theoretically it could happen, but would be totally impractical, humanly impossible, and would likely break the gun/bullet.
-JDZJ
Tempe, AZ