Proof/Explanation to why bullet hits the apple

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    apple Bullet
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the question of why a bullet, when aimed at a falling apple, will hit the apple as long as the bullet's trajectory is directed towards it. The scope includes conceptual reasoning related to projectile motion and gravitational effects on both the bullet and the apple.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant states that as long as the bullet is aimed at the apple, it will hit it, prompting a request for an explanation of this phenomenon.
  • Another participant suggests that the bullet and the apple fall at the same rate due to gravity, which is -9.8 m/s².
  • A hypothetical experiment is proposed where a bullet is fired at an apple in free fall from a distance of 300 m, illustrating that both the bullet and the apple will fall the same distance in the same time frame due to gravitational acceleration.
  • The same participant notes that in the presence of Earth, after 1 second, the apple will be 4.9 m below its original position, and the bullet will also be 4.9 m below its original trajectory, reinforcing the idea that gravity affects both objects equally.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the principle that both the bullet and the apple are affected by gravity in the same way, but the discussion does not resolve the underlying conceptual question of why this results in the bullet hitting the apple.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not address potential limitations or assumptions regarding the initial conditions of the bullet's velocity or the exact aiming process.

KingOfQuestions
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I have a bullet with a initial velocity and an apple in free fall (-9.8 acceleration). Whenever I shoot the bullet it will hit the apple as long as the vector of the bullet is aimed at the apple. What I want to know is why does that occur? Why is it that as long as I aim the apple, the bullet hits it?
 
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Is this a homework question? If so then you need to use the template.
 
No this is not really a home-work question? It's just a little question that I had. But I really need to know the answer.
 
OK, I have moved it from the homework section into the technical forums.
 
KingOfQuestions said:
I have a bullet with a initial velocity and an apple in free fall (-9.8 acceleration). Whenever I shoot the bullet it will hit the apple as long as the vector of the bullet is aimed at the apple. What I want to know is why does that occur? Why is it that as long as I aim the apple, the bullet hits it?
The top rated comment by CGP Grey under this video has a nice graphics explaining that:

 
The bullet and the apple fall at the same rate.

Imagine performing the experiment in space, let the apple go and simultaneously fire the gun at it from a range of 300 m with a bullet velocity of 300 m/s, the bullet will hit the apple at the apples original location 1 second later.

Now modify the experiment by adding the earth. 1 second after being dropped the apple will be 4.9 m below its original position, and the bullet will be 4.9 m below it's original trajectory for exactly the same reason. Gravity accelerated them both by the same amount for the same time, and so displaced them by the same distance.
 

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