Flying Backwards

9

9-ball

New member
Chuck Dye,

I made my post a little confusing by using a 9x19mm for the example of energy and a .50 BMG for the example of momentum. :)

EDIT: I'm being vague again. I made that first example just to show that a bullet has enough energy to send someone flying (so I neglected impulse), the second example was intended to show that no bullet has enough momentum to do so.
 
C

Chuck Dye

New member
No, I am not Dale Dye, nor am I related to any meaningful extent. THE Captain Dye in my life was Dad, a USN Captain.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
The effect of people being "blown off their feet" has been noted for about as long as people have been being shot. It doesn't happen always, or even often, but it does happen sometime. And, when it does, there is a fair chance of the person being "blown" toward the shooter, not away.

People almost always believe it happens because of the energy of the bullet, but that's not exactly the case. It is the impact (not the energy directly) that sometimes causes the nervous system to "short circuit" and cause a muscle spasm, and it is that muscle spasm that "throws" the person backwards (or forwards, sometimes).

Physics says equal and opposite reaction, so if the gun doesn't knock you down when you fire it, it won't knock down who it hits, all by itself.

Most of the time, a person who is "switched off" by a bullet just drops. But sometimes, they do violent, spectacular things. Hollywood loves visually impressive, spectacular things. It sells movies. Guys being blown yards backwards, cars exploding from being shot, huge blood spatters, etc.

If a little is good, more must be better, right? People go to movies because they want to be entertained and impressed. Stunts have to keep getting wilder, and gunshot results more and more impressive, as the audience becomes jaded from seeing them over and over.

Remember, it is FANTASY on that screen. And that's ALL it is.
 
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