Physics question

("Rich S." wrote)
In your illustration, the gunner fires straight back
before the Me-109 is directly behind the B17. He can hit
if he fires at precisely the moment his gun crosses the
flight path of the Me-109.

Not so. The bullet simply falls to Earth and the ME-109 passes safely 50
yards (or so) behind the B-17.


Agreed.

(For those who don't agree)
Think of a pickup truck driving along at 40 mph. I'm standing in the bed
with a baseball.

When we reach the manhole cover in the middle of the street I let fly out
the back of the truck with my best stuff, which just happens to be a 40 mph
fastball g. That ball will not go past the manhole cover.

If you're a batter (or an ME-109) standing at the manhole cover - which
every kid knows is home plate - you won't get hit by my fastball ...or be
able to hit it. (I'm unhittable!!)

Now, if I flip the ball into the air, but a little to the left, and you are
standing in the street when the truck drives by, you will be hit by a 40 mph
ball. Just thought I'd toss that one out there :-)

So long as the ME-109 is not moving (at all) in the same direction as the
"magic" B-17, when it crosses behind the Flying Fortress, it will be safe
from the bullet.. I would think wind drift would not be an issue (with
perpendicular plane paths) since it will drift the B-17 too ... away from
the ME-109.


Montblack ..."car"

But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal for a while due to the gyroscopic spin caused
by the rifling...


"Montblack" wrote in message ...
("Rich S." wrote)
In your illustration, the gunner fires straight back
before the Me-109 is directly behind the B17. He can hit
if he fires at precisely the moment his gun crosses the
flight path of the Me-109.

Not so. The bullet simply falls to Earth and the ME-109 passes safely 50 yards (or so) behind the B-17.


Agreed.

(For those who don't agree)
Think of a pickup truck driving along at 40 mph. I'm standing in the bed with a baseball.

When we reach the manhole cover in the middle of the street I let fly out the back of the truck with my best stuff,
which just happens to be a 40 mph fastball g. That ball will not go past the manhole cover.

If you're a batter (or an ME-109) standing at the manhole cover - which every kid knows is home plate - you won't get
hit by my fastball ...or be able to hit it. (I'm unhittable!!)

Now, if I flip the ball into the air, but a little to the left, and you are standing in the street when the truck
drives by, you will be hit by a 40 mph ball. Just thought I'd toss that one out there :-)

So long as the ME-109 is not moving (at all) in the same direction as the "magic" B-17, when it crosses behind the
Flying Fortress, it will be safe from the bullet.. I would think wind drift would not be an issue (with perpendicular
plane paths) since it will drift the B-17 too ... away from the ME-109.


Montblack ..."car"

Blueskies wrote:

But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal for a while due to the gyroscopic spin caused
by the rifling...


No, the bullet will start dropping due to gravity immediately upon
exiting the muzzle.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

"Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired" wrote in message
news:MjOTe.9806$dm.4606@lakeread03...
Blueskies wrote:

But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal
for a while due to the gyroscopic spin caused by the rifling...


No, the bullet will start dropping due to gravity immediately upon
exiting the muzzle.

But, it will drop in a horizontal attitude. Pretty much, that is. Since it
begins to accelerate downward, the axis of rotation will diverge due to
gyroscopic precession. Don't ask me in which direction, though.

Rich S.

"Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired" wrote in message news:MjOTe.9806$dm.4606@lakeread03...
Blueskies wrote:

But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal for a while due to the gyroscopic spin
caused by the rifling...


No, the bullet will start dropping due to gravity immediately upon exiting the muzzle.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired


Exactly, but in a horizonal attitude...assuming the gun was fired straight back...

" Blueskies" wrote in message
...
But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal
for a while due to the gyroscopic spin caused by the rifling...

Quite a while, actually. If you fire it straight up, it will likely land on
it's butt - still spinning. Ever done the math to figure the rpm of a .45
ACP? The twist of the barrel IIRC, is one turn in 9 inches. If it's
traveling at 820 fps at the muzzle, that is 1093 nine inch increments per
second or 65,580 rpm. No wonder the gun twists in your hand during recoil.

Rich S.

Montblack wrote:
("Rich S." wrote)
In your illustration, the gunner fires straight back
before the Me-109 is directly behind the B17. He can hit
if he fires at precisely the moment his gun crosses the
flight path of the Me-109.

Not so. The bullet simply falls to Earth and the ME-109 passes safely 50
yards (or so) behind the B-17.


Agreed.

(For those who don't agree)
Think of a pickup truck driving along at 40 mph. I'm standing in the bed
with a baseball.

When we reach the manhole cover in the middle of the street I let fly out
the back of the truck with my best stuff, which just happens to be a 40 mph
fastball g. That ball will not go past the manhole cover.

Won't it drop stairght down toward the manhole cover? (Yes it will.)


If you're a batter (or an ME-109) standing at the manhole cover - which
every kid knows is home plate - you won't get hit by my fastball ...or be
able to hit it. (I'm unhittable!!)


Evidently you have seen me at bat. But someone else could hit it.

And if I'm running toward the manhole cover at a right angle to
the direction the truck is driving I can catch the ball as I
step accross the manhole cover, right?

(Well, maybe you've seen me field too.)

--

FF

wrote)
Won't it drop stairght down toward the manhole cover? (Yes it will.)


Gads, you're right! Crap, now it's basically T-ball at the manhole cover.
There goes my 1.35 ERA!!


Montblack

"Montblack" wrote in message
...
wrote)
Won't it drop stairght down toward the manhole cover? (Yes it will.)


Gads, you're right! Crap, now it's basically T-ball at the manhole cover.
There goes my 1.35 ERA!!


Montblack

I had a .98 GPA one semester. Only courses I passed were Physics 101 and
ROTC.
Nobody flunked ROTC.

Oh! ERA. Never mind.

Rich S.