JTMcC wrote:
"Chris Oates" none wrote in message
...

"Dean" wrote in message
...
This is sort of metalwork - it involves lead. I was watching the
Iraqies celebrating the capture of Saddam by firing their rifles
and guns into the air. How dangerous are the bullets coming down ?
I know they fall back much slower than they leave the gun barrel,
but they must still be doing a fair clip. They said 4 people so far
have been killed by this but I guess in Iraq its hard to know which
bullets came from where. As a few of you know about guns I thought
I'd ask here.

Yes, same velocity they went up with


That sure doesn't sound right to me. A bullet or any other object
fired into the air, let's say straight up to keep it simple, will
slow until it finally stops and begins to fall back to earth. I would
think the effect of gravity and wind resistance would determine the
maximun velocity of the falling bullet (object), not the velocity at
which it was fired upward with. The same speed would be realized as
if you had simply dropped the bullet (object) at the same altitude
from a hot air balloon. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

JTMcC.

It would start out with a certain amount of kinetic energy, based on its
mass and muzzle velocity. The kinetic energy would be converted to potential
energy, minus the work done against air resistance on the way up. On the way
down after vertical motion ceased, potential energy is converted into
kinetic energy, again minus the energy lost due to air resistance. If there
was no air resistance, like a simplified physics problem, the effect of
gravity (= stored potential energy) would be determined solely by the
initial velocity, and the final velocity on its return to earth would be the
same as its initial velocity. In this instance, air resistance is the only
loss of energy (from the standpoint of our projectile).