Eli5 If you shoot a bullet into the air how does it gain enough velocity on the way down to kill someone?

Question

Eli5 If you shoot a bullet into the air how does it gain enough velocity on the way down to kill someone?

In: 5

Answer 1

Without air resistance, the only major force acting on a bullet is gravity.

Gravity will slow the bullet down when it goes up, but accelerate it when it goes down.
A bullet will come down exactly as quickly as it went up.

However, air resistance will limit the falling speed to what is called terminal velocity, in which the force of gravity and air resistance are in equilibrium. This speed might still be enough to kill someone.