Bullets without the bang

Do you guys actually understand all this stuff without googling it?

[spot]

Originally Posted by JAB

Do you guys actually understand all this stuff without googling it?

I was invigilating a three and a half hour exam this morning and I sketched it in a notebook to see how the numbers panned out.

Originally Posted by spot

That's not how a slingshot works - when you let go of a stone from a slingshot it goes straight, it's no longer attached to the sling so there's nothing pulling it sideways any longer.

The bullet's held at the end of the magazine by a latch. The latch releases when the magazine reaches the release catch which spins the bullet and lets it fly free.

Yes, it was the math, seeing whether a mechanical design with no explosive charge could put a bullet into the same release state as a rifled barrel can.

But the stretchy part isn't spinning in a slingshot. It’s linier. Not horizontally spinning. If you spun the disc and dropped water off of it, it would curve off not spin out straight. I think you’d have to barrel it so that it released in an anticipated moment for straight flight, but to do so would mean a dead stop to release the bullet. Let it speed up inside a barrel mounted on the disc, then at the proper speed, take it to a dead stop to transfer the energy from the rotation into the barrel for an aimed trajectory.

Similar to when a sling shot slows down to release the stone.

LOL! this is when my dad tells me about a factor I haven't considered yet. Want to fill me in?

Originally Posted by spot

I was invigilating a three and a half hour exam this morning and I sketched it in a notebook to see how the numbers panned out.

I'm not ashamed to say that I had to go look this word up. OK then, I buy it and I don't blame you for finding something with which to amuse yourself.

Originally Posted by JAB

Do you guys actually understand all this stuff without googling it?

LOL I'm just going off what I know of mechanical things. Which is limited. I'm guessing!

Originally Posted by Hoss

LOL I'm just going off what I know of mechanical things. Which is limited. I'm guessing!

You're guessing better then I ever could! Either that or I'm easily impressed!

Originally Posted by JAB

You're guessing better then I ever could! Either that or I'm easily impressed!

I like mechanical things, but I'm like my dad I 'eyeball stuff'. I think my dad would be a genius if he were a bit smarter! I can say that because he's not home!

He’s got projects in locked cabinets so no one sees what he is working on. LOL, it’s his 'inventions'. He makes tools for the business and they work wonderfully.



Spot my dad would love this discussion. He hand makes weapons. Handguns and rifles and modifies existing weapon systems.

[spot]

Originally Posted by Hoss

But the stretchy part isn't spinning in a slingshot. It’s linier. Not horizontally spinning. If you spun the disc and dropped water off of it, it would curve off not spin out straight. I think you’d have to barrel it so that it released in an anticipated moment for straight flight, but to do so would mean a dead stop to release the bullet. Let it speed up inside a barrel mounted on the disc, then at the proper speed, take it to a dead stop to transfer the energy from the rotation into the barrel for an aimed trajectory.

Similar to when a sling shot slows down to release the stone.

LOL! this is when my dad tells me about a factor I haven't considered yet. Want to fill me in?

The water comes off a spinning disc in a straight line too - get your buzz saw out and try it with a bowl of water. Don't electrocute yourself. Actually, don't, it sounds really dangerous. The only curvature you'll get is from gravity.

Slings don't slow down to release the stone, you let go of one end of the doubled material and the stone carries on in a straight line - gravity will curve it downward but that happens to everything in free flight.

If something's gripped and spun in a circle it's dragged round in a curve. Once the grip's removed it goes straight. There's nothing left to drag it to one side or the other. Newton has a law about it: "An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless a force acts upon it". Velocity's a description of something's speed and direction. Before it's released from a sling, the sling's applying a sideways force. After it's let go the only force left acting is gravity.

Originally Posted by Hoss

I like mechanical things, but I'm like my dad I 'eyeball stuff'. I think my dad would be a genius if he were a bit smarter! I can say that because he's not home!

He’s got projects in locked cabinets so no one sees what he is working on. LOL, it’s his 'inventions'. He makes tools for the business and they work wonderfully.



Spot my dad would love this discussion. He hand makes weapons. Handguns and rifles and modifies existing weapon systems.

Chicken!

Originally Posted by spot

The water comes off a spinning disc in a straight line too - get your buzz saw out and try it with a bowl of water. Don't electrocute yourself. Actually, don't, it sounds really dangerous. The only curvature you'll get is from gravity.

Slings don't slow down to release the stone, you let go of one end of the doubled material and the stone carries on in a straight line - gravity will curve it downward but that happens to everything in free flight.

If something's gripped and spun in a circle it's dragged round in a curve. Once the grip's removed it goes straight. There's nothing left to drag it to one side or the other. Newton has a law about it: "An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless a force acts upon it". Velocity's a description of something's speed and direction. Before it's released from a sling, the sling's applying a sideways force. After it's let go the only force left acting is gravity.

I just tried it, I have a spinning painter. You put a card on it and drop the paint out on it and centrifugal force moves it to the outside in a straight line if it’s spinning fast enough.

But it does curve if it’s too slow to move the paint drop. It spirals out till it reaches the end of the card.

How do you aim it though? There’s no telling where it comes off the edge of the card, or disc in your weapon.

I do understand force and velocity.