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

What goes up must come down. It loses its kinetic energy (the force of it travelling) to the air as it goes up but as gravity pulls down it starts to pick up that kinetic energy again. Try throwing a soccer ball up in the air and letting it land on you.