Show G By JIM RHODY All Relative What will happen to a bullet fired directly to the rear from an airplane traveling with the same velocity as the bullet This is a question frequently asked and is apparently of increasing increasing increasing ing interest due to the part the airplane played in the last war and the ensuing public attention The answer is simply that the bullet will with a certain amount of irregularity due to its spin drop vertically to the ground from the point at which it leaves the muzzle muzzle muzzle of the gun In other words the plane runs off oU and leaves the bul bul- bullet bullet bullet let Sounds impossible but its it's true The first thing which must be made clear says Dr C. C S. S Cum- Cum Cummings Cummings Cummings supervisor of ballistics standardization at Remington Rem R e m i 1 l g ton t o n Arms company is that there is no such thing as motion by itself Motion must always be relative to some other othel object We are so used to using the earth as the object relative to which we consider all I motion to take place that we usual usual- usually ly lose sight of the fact that other reference points may be adopted in inthis inthis inthis this case Probably the confusion con c o n f us u s ion which seems to exist concern concern- concerning concerning concerning ing the plane bullet-plane problem is due almost entirely to this fail fail- failure failure failure ure to be specific as to the points of reference concerned As in many other instances a proper phrasing of the ques ques- question question question tion almost supplies the an an- Instead of phrasing the ques ques- question question question tion as we did originally it should be asked as follows What is the motion relative to the earth of a bullet which is fired in a rearward direction from a plane whose for for- forward forward forward ward velocity relative to the earth is equal to the velocity with which the bullet leaves the gun To UTo be specific let us imagine that we are in a plane traveling feet per second due north The bullet is one which when fired will leave the gun at a speed of feet per second relative to the gun Picture now the situation just before the shot is fired The plane gun and gunner are all moving due north at the speed of feet per second relative to the earth The gunner pulls the trigger The bullet starts to move down the gun barrel that is changes its position relative to the gun Since the gun is presumed presumed- fixed rela rela- relative relative relative tive to the plane the bullet is not moving north quite as rapidly now as the plane and gun By the time the bullet reaches the muzzle of ot the gun it is traveling with its full velocity of feet per second away from the gun in a direction due south Relative to an observer on the ground the velocity of the bullet is zero Hence the bullet will drop vertically to the ground from the phone o On the other hand con con- continues continues continues Dr Cummings if U the bullet were fired from the nose of the plane it would move 1600 feet pen pe pete second due north relative to the plane since the gun is already traveling feet per second due north nor n o r t h hand hand and the bullet leaves the gun at feet per second relative to the gun If It we assume that the air is stationary relative to the ground ie i.e. no wind then the above dis dis- discussion discussion dis- dis discussion is equally applicable to the motion of the bullet relative to the air In other words depending upon upon the direction in which the bullet is fired it will have a velocity of ot from zero to 1600 feet per second relative to the air thus very much complicating the problem of tra tra- trajectories trajectories trajectories of bullets fired from rap rap- rapidly rapidly rapidly idly moving aircraft A l ono A A l Tough Problem In their efforts to maintain and increase fish game and other nat ural resources the sportsmens clubs of the nation are dealing with one of the most complicated problems problems problems lems known Wildlife and its soil and atmospheric environment are of ot an order of difficulty approach approach- approaching ing the problems in human life All AU Allare Allare are extremely sensitive to condi condI- conditions condItions conditions around them and improving conditions is not simple It closely resembles the problem faced by a physician and surgeon in trying to cure a patient suffering from an obscure disease The game manager specialist should be the most important person in the community com com- community community in any effort toward build build- building building building ing up local game supplies A 6 A 0 A D l Duck Hospital A duck hospital has been set setup s setup t tup up at the Tule Lake wildlife refuge to take care of poisoned botulism-poisoned ducks in that area to toa toa a report by the federal fish and wildlife service The Tule Lake area like many others in the West is especially susceptible to botulism botulism botulism ism which forms in rotting animal and vegetable matter The sick ducks are arc picked up by bya a flat bottom flat flat- ottom boat powered by an anair anair anair air thrust motor |