If you shoot a bullet in the air, it definitely fell somewhere, just moments later. But when it’s down, how dangerous is it?
Shooting rounds or more is a dangerous behavior. For this reason, most guns fired using empty ammunition reproduce only the sound of a gunshot. Image credit: CC0 public domain via Rawpixel
The force of a single gunpowder was not enough to make such a projectile escape Earth’s gravity. Of course, air provides a certain amount of friction to slow down all falling objects, and bullets are no exception. This means that a falling bullet will pack less force than when it was fired from muzzle.
From a physics perspective, a dropped projectile loses most of its initial energy – only about 10% of its speed remains when it hits the ground, which translates to only 1% of its original energy. However, the ammo is not equal. Even small changes in angle of fire and wind speed can affect final velocity. And the shape of the bullet is the main factor determining how well it can penetrate human skin.
So how dangerous is it to be hit by a stray bullet that shoots straight into the sky? Short answer: it can be deadly. The following video presents the full story:
