04-04-2017, 06:28 PM
(04-04-2017, 05:54 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I don't think you all are using the F=ma formula correctly. that does not really measure the force of impact with another object. Instead it measures the amount of force needed to accelerate that mass to a certain speed.
For example a train traveling 100MPH but with zero acceleration is going to do a lot more damage to you than the same train going 5MPH but accelerating at a rate of 1 foot/second squared.
Talk to Fan in Kettering. He's the physicist.
Added: Look at the link for the military textbook. Then the chapter on ballistics. I gave you the wrong formula. Kinetic energy = mass x velocity squared/2. The velocity of the bullet has a greater affect on kinetic energy because it is squared and mass isn't