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Homework Statement
Newton's Principia suggested that if you fire a cannon from a high mountain it could fall, circle the earth, or fly away depending on how hard it was fired. Describe how this compares to bullet trajectories. What is the major difference with this trajectory? (for visualizing, see: http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/more_stuff/Applets/newt/newtmtn.html )
The Attempt at a Solution
Okay, with this problem I get that if you fire a cannon it could react this way , due to the fact the cannonball would a) succumb to gravity b) get caught betweens Earth's gravity field and begin to orbit or, C) would fly off into space in accordance to Newtons law of motion.
What I don't get is how this compares to bullet trajectory. As far as I understand this would be the same case for a bullet trajectory, with the only difference being F=ma. (please correct me if I am wrong here)
but as this is a kinematics section of a course, it seems that the force answer was not the correct one. Can anyone explain the similarities and differences in terms of kinematics, not force or circular motion (if possible) as I am struggling to grasp this in kinematic terms.
thanks in advance,
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