Would it reduce the range because of a clockwise spin causing an inwards motion or increase the range by adding a lift to the projectile? I’m seeing things saying it’s the latter but I was leaning towards the former.
In: Physics
The magnus effect shouldn’t impact a spin-stabilized projectile.
The magnus effect is when a projectile is spinning with its spin axis perpendicular to the direction of its forward motion. This causes an uneven air flow around the projectile, pulling it to one side or another due to lift.
A spin-stabilized projectile like a bullet is spinning with its axis parallel to its direction of motion. That acts to prevent any uneven forces pulling it to one side or another…such as the magnus effect. That’s why we go through so much effort to spin-stabilize projectiles. If a bullet were to be spin-stabilized but also have a bit of a side force, the bullet would travel in a spiral as the uneven side force would be rotating around at an even pace, cancelling itself out over time.
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