Solve Crime Scene Problem: Find Velocity of Bullet

[dustinxcollapse]

I was thinking up a physics problem and could someone help me find the answer to it.

Someone has committed suicided at a crime scene and this is what they know.

Knowns
Mass of Bullet: 0.05 kg
Velocity of Bullet: 1500 m/s
Acceleration of Bullet: -3.08 m/s2
Acceleration due to gravity: 9.80 m/s2
Unknowns
T=?
Fp=?

What is the velocity of the bullet the instant it enters the victims head if the gun is held 0.2 meters away?

/i\Fn=4.9 x 10-1
l
<-------------l----->Fp= ? N
l
\l/ Fg= 4.9 x 10-1

 

[HallsofIvy]

I take it your "Acceleration of Bullet: -3.08 m/s2" is horizontal decelleration due to air resistance?

Horizontally, v= 1500- 3.08 t m/s
x= 1500t- 1.54t² m (distance bullet has gone)

Just as the bullet is "entering the victim's head", x= 1500- 15.4t²= 0.2
Solve for x to find t.

Vertically, v= -9.8 t

Knowing t, you can solve from the horizontal and vertical components of the bullet's velocity and then use Pythagoras to find the speed of the bullet.

 

[sigma]

I'd consider the velocity of the bullet to be 1500 m/s. 0,2 m is way to short a distance for any signifficant change in velocity given a retardation of only 3,08 m/s^2.

Just don't you go do anything stupid..

 

[sigma]

I take it your "Acceleration of Bullet: -3.08 m/s2" is horizontal decelleration due to air resistance?

I'd consider the retardation to be along the direction of the bullets' motion. It's an iteresting problem, still I think there's to little information to say anything more precise than ~1500 m/s