4 ms·
Naval shells have much lower surface to mass ratios. In the limit that that ratio goes to zero the fluid forces disappear and you're left with simple parabolic
by sbaiddn 4y ago
Naval shells have much lower surface to mass ratios. In the limit that that ratio goes to zero the fluid forces disappear and you're left with simple parabolic motion + rotation of the Earth.
The fluid flow is the hard one!
- TylerE 4y agoYou’re grossly oversimplifying. Naval firing calculations include factors like the temperature of both the air and the barrel and minor variations in powder quality - and then of course both the thing you’re trying to hit AND the gun itself are both moving in 3 dimensions. Even WWII mechanical fire computers took 30-40 variables as input
- sbaiddn 4y agoBut those factors are physically present in small bullets too, except they're ignored because other forces dominate.