Recent content by Assaltwaffle

I think this was my misconception. It was my understanding that any motion undertaken by an object is a byproduct of energy and thus must be caused by energy. So the transfer of momentum causes the object to move accordingly, not the transfer of kinetic energy, and even though the kinetic energy...

Thank you for the in-depth reply! So, in the calculations, the energy that is lost through the inelastic collisions is converted into different methods of work, such as bending, tearing, or heating, correct? Certainly energy cannot simply be erased. The different comparative examples help me...

I think see now. It seems I had a fundamental misunderstanding about what determined the "impulse" and how what work the bullet did is determined. So, if the round is fully stopped by a plate or fully capture by a body, the full momentum is transferred as an impulse. Energy does this work and...

So the higher energy projectile only moves back the object proportionate to its momentum and all excess energy must be used to do different types of work, such as becoming heat or bending/cracking the armor plate or tearing through flesh? So momentum determines the physical shoving force and all...

That I understand. Is not pushing an object work? Why does the energy from the bullet only transfer a small amount of its energy into a pushing force? Using the 1kg rock again, a 1kg rock at 36 m/s hitting a punching bag would likely push it back quite a bit, and certainly more than only 9mm of...

I suppose it's easier to imagine a hanging punching bag with an armor plate instead of a person. So only linear momentum determines how much an object, such as a punching bag, is pushed? If that's the case, then where does the extra energy go/what does the energy do? The projectile is carrying...

I'm not asking how to calculate momentum. That is easily Google-able. I'm confused about what principles govern how one is pushed back by a projectile and what the energy of the projectile does. It seems to be indicated by some others in the thread that energy can only transfer a pushing force...

So the energy can push but only proportionately to its momentum and all energy beyond that must do something else, like bend or crush?

I think I need more clarification on the differences in what momentum and kinetic energy do in regards to moving or doing anything at all to an object. It seems to be said here that momentum alone can push, not energy. If that's the case then where does that 1,800 joules of energy go? Is not...

I suppose I'm just confused about what all the energy "does". If not push, then what does 1,800 joules of energy do when it strikes the target if only momentum can push? The energy has to do and I thought the only work the energy could do is the bend or brake the plate and/or push it. I know...

So a bullet striking armor doesn't knock someone down because of the bullet's low momentum? Am I getting that right? It's not the energy transfer that moves someone?

So it is, in the end, about the armor's reduction of the transfer of energy and not about momentum being inherently low?

I've already stated in the OP that the only reason for someone falling over from a bullet being someone gets startled from not knowing it's coming. That doesn't really answer my question, though. If someone is punched or kicked hard enough, the person can be physically shoved back even if...

I'm aware. Hence why I asked why they are not thrown down since the amount of energy transferred into a plate by a bullet is quite a lot. As I said, about 18x more than an average punch and even done over a far smaller period of time. My apologies if you thought I was meaning that Hollywood is...

My apologies if the prefix is too high of complexity. I don't know where this would fall, difficulty or academically speaking. While it may be surprising to some given Hollywood's portrayal of it in movies, if a person in wearing hard bulletproof armor is struck by a projectile, the person is...