A hunter aims directly at a target (on the same level) 160 m away.

(a) If the bullet leaves the gun at a speed of 280 m/s, by how much will it miss the target?

(b) At what angle should the gun be aimed so as to hit the target?

Question

A hunter aims directly at a target (on the same level) 160 m away.

(a) If the bullet leaves the gun at a speed of 280 m/s, by how much will it miss the target? 

(b) At what angle should the gun be aimed so as to hit the target?

anonymous · Answer

a. find the time it takes to reach the target horizontal distance, from t = distance/velocity. Use that time to determine how far from the horizontal if falls, from s = (1/2) g t^2.

b. angle the gun up enough so that this much falling will put the bullet on the target. If the angle is appreciable, then you may need to correct the time-of flight for the loss of horizontal component of velocity. That component will be muzzle speed times cos (angle). You might have to recalculate to adjust for this change in flight time.