On the 23/05/96, Bob waffled to Dieter..

 Hello Bob,

 
 BL> It's not as bad as you think. If you fire an M16 it leaves the
 BL> muzzle at Mach-3 (990m/s), but if you drop the bullet from an
 BL> infinite height it's terminal velocity in the atmosphere is
 BL> around 70m/s (160mph). It's energy is 200-times less and would
 BL> only give you a nasty bonk on the head.
 
 DM> Wanna stand still while we try it ?

 BL> Have you got 20 grams of lead? What if I use a 2-dollar piece?

 BL> ... FX: BONK! Ouch?! Hoi!

 BL> I keep getting hit on the head.
 
 Try closing your eyes then.

 DM> They say if you drop a dime of the Empire State Building, and
 DM> it hits someone on the head whilst passing by at street level,
 DM> it would pass through almost the entire vertical length of the
 DM> body.
 DM> It would be akin to a metal-tipped arrow.

 BL> And my dick's a kipper and there's fish for breakfast.

 Something smells, and it's not the kipper....

 BL> dropped has to overcome air drag. An arrow fired slows down. Its
 BL> highest speed is off the end of the string, and such an arrow is not
 BL> capable of spitting a person, so why would dropping it do any better?

 BL> A dropped arrow would do better than a bullet. It is heavier to
 BL> start with (more energy), it has directional stability, and the shape
 BL> is better for penetration at low speed. On the other hand, you'd do
 BL> better using a bow. A dime is not worth a dime for killing people off 
 BL> a high place.

 Consider a stone flung from the road by a passing car or truck,
 at a closing velocity of 80 kms each.

 That stone has sufficient force to star or shatter a windscreen.
 By empirical analysis, I have determined that a windscreen is
 harder then my head. However, I find getting out of this canvas
 jacket with the extra-long sleeves a tad difficult, so it will
 take me a while longer to complete my tests.

 Dieter     (dieter{at}un-intelligent.com.au)


... Bother! said Pooh, and drew his .45 and shot the intruder.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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