For my Math final I have to write a paper on a topic I am interested in and the math involved with it. It only has to be a couple of pages and of course I want to write about guns.

Ballistics would seem like the best idea to write about since it is so heavily driven through math.

Can someone point me in the direction of some online resources with the info I'll need to write this paper? Any formulas I could get would be great.

I dont know of any on-line resources. If you are serious about this you should go to the library and get a couple of physics text books. They will give you just about all the information you will need. You could also write about recoil (give an equation for the reactive force of the bullet being fired, etc.)

You want to search for a "ballistic calculator" type of program that predicts bullet flight paths, given V initial, Ballistic Coeffecients, bullet shape and diameter and weapon zero.

If you would like a very ordinary( and real-world inaccurate) mathematical description of projectiles in flight, Newtonian Physics (equations of motion) are what you want(and a teacher would expect to see) in your paper.

In short, first semester Physics:

v= v initial + a * t

r= r initial + v initial * t + 1/2 a * t^2

v^2 = v initial^2 + 2*a *(r - r initial)

r = r initial + 1/2 *(v initial + v)*t

r = r init. + 1/2 a t^2

In Resnik/Halliday/Krane's 4th edition, page 57+ details "Projectile Motion".

r means "position"
a means "acceleration"
t means "time"

So, for example:

range(of projectile)= (v initial)^2/g  * sine of 2 theta.

Theta is the angle of projector's elevation, g is the force of gravity.

Gotta stop, I'm haveing a (bad) physics flashback.

Sounds more like you want something to do with Mechanics (physics)

The_Beer_Slayer -
That's great, I'm going to use that with my daughter for one of her algebra problems...

Another Idea is to pick up a few reloading manuals, if you have a friend that reloads maybe you can borrow his. The charts in the back are invauble. Also some of the powder compaines have sites with some info on the web, type "Reloading" into most any search engien. Hope that helps.

Do a google search for "ballistics" many interesting pages are listed.

You can use some simple Newtonian Physics for calculating projectile motion in a Vacuum.
See your Freshman Physics Book.

It can get pretty hairy too, if you start creating models which take into account air resistance, turbulence, precession (bullet "wobble"), when the bullet goes through a laminar phase transistion as it crosses the sound barrier.

See Physics Books on Fluid Dynamics: Landau and Lifshitz. Also Engineering Books on Aeorodynamics.

A nice little Online Web Site on how Bullets Fly can be found at: [url]http://www.povn.com/~4n6/index.htm[/url]

Actually, here's the page I was looking for:

[url]www.povn.com/~4n6/index.htm[/url]

Go nuts!

Boston, you beat me to it!

Well, I would have to say that they have already burned it down and you are tracking down the F-ing Soccer Mom who does not know that she is going the wrong way...on the train and in life!

 If you want to read some real interesting stuff, and wonder how in the hell someone figured all this out:

[url]http://hometown.aol.com/slavetiger/index.html[/url]

 Don't laugh either, this girl is on top of her game!

 Chuck

From an engineering standpoint, traditional exterior ballistics analyses are like the proverbial "red-headed step-child" when compared to aerodynamical analyses.  Basically, a long time ago, a "standard" projectile was defined, and all analyses use that as a standard by which ballistic comparisons are made.  Thus, the coefficient of drag, a common aerodynamic term, does not show up in traditional formulae.  Instead, the Ballistic Coefficient (or BC) is used.

Traditional ballistics can take a bit of time and research to get a handle on.  Therefore I would suggest the following course of action:

1. If you are a high-school student, just go with the point-mass, no-drag approach posted by Erasmus earlier.  It is a good starting point for understanding the concepts.

2. If you are a college student, you could go with the point-mass, no-drag approach if you're in a basic math class, or if you are in an advanced class, I'd suggest studying traditional ballistics and presenting that.

Here is a good web site on traditional exterior ballistics that's been around for several years:

[url]http://internet.cybermesa.com/~jbm/ballistics/ballistics.html[/url]

Also, the best text I've found is a recent, hard to find book written by the late R. L. McCoy, a former scientist at the U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory.  It's titled "Modern Exterior Ballistics", and the ISBN is 0764307207.

HTH,
SAB

Wow! Thank you all very much for the help. It certainly looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

I'm in a basic math class so I'll learn the more advanced stuff later. Thanks for the pointers, though, reminds me why I'm not a math major [:E]

Just remember.... 9.81 meters per second per second.

All the rest is gravy.