[TheForge] Just watched the Mythbusters try to shatter hammers

[Larry Brown]

I stand corrected
LB

At 07:23 PM 11/30/2006 -0500, you wrote:


>On Thu, 30 Nov 2006, Larry Brown wrote:
>(snip)
>>>Larry, they also showed two cases in that epside where people suffered 
>>>signifigant injuries as a result of shooting into the air.  One of whom 
>>>died as a result.  They specifically said that if it wasn't exactly 
>>>straight up and there was any angle to the shot, it could, and has, 
>>>killed people.
>>
>>Must have missed that few minutes, commercials bore me to sleep, Wasn't 
>>in their conclusion if I remember correctly
>>LB
>
>I just watched the end again, and you remember incorrectly.  From the 
>Wikipedia page:
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%28season_3%29#Episode_50_.E2.80.94_.22Bullets_Fired_Up.22
>
>And for those that don't want to follow the link:
>Myth statement
>Bullets fired into the air maintain their lethal capability when they 
>eventually fall back down.
>
>Status
>
>Busted , Plausible, and Confirmed
>
>Notes
>
>In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something 
>extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would 
>tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal 
>velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact. However, if 
>a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable 
>possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed 
>to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into 
>the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is 
>legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able 
>to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of 
>them fatally injured.