01-24-2005, 06:34 PM
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Confirmed User
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,981
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http://van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/qa/secti...0310160956.htm
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However, if you shoot a bullet straight up, it will take quite a long time for it to fall again. When the bullet reaches the top of its trajectory and starts to fall again, the speed that it gains is due only to gravity. At some speed, the force of air resistance (which depends on velocity) will equal the force of gravity (which does not depend on velocity). This is what's referred to as 'terminal velocity.' All falling objects have a terminal velocity. The smaller the object is, the higher the terminal velocity. For a bullet, one estimate that I have read for terminal velocity is around 300 ft/sec (about 200 mph). Since that's a lot slower than a bullet leaves a gun nozzle, it seems that the air resistance really will have a big effect on the speed of the falling bullet.
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300 ft/sec is pretty fast.
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