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

You assume the bullet on the way down is like someone dropping one out of a hot air balloon and just opening their hand.

Anything that’s not dead straight up** will arc and not tumble but keep some of its energy and return to earth.

**There’s probably a something degree range that firing “straight” up will result in a tumbling bullet, but that’s for you to find out.