The shot "heard 'round the world" was fired in Concord at the beginning of the American Revolution.The muskets of the day had minimal sights and often were aimed by merely looking down the barrel.If the bullet was fired horizontally with an initial speed of 250 m/s,how far did the bullet drop by the time it hit the British line,75 m away?
A)0 m (the bullet traveled in a horizontal line)
B)0.44 m
C)1.47 m
D)7.65 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the distance the bullet dropped, we use the formula for the vertical displacement in projectile motion, $y = \frac{1}{2}gt^2$, where $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately $9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2$) and $t$ is the time of flight. Since the bullet was fired horizontally, its horizontal velocity ($v_x$) is constant, and we can find the time of flight by dividing the horizontal distance by the horizontal velocity, $t = \frac{d}{v_x} = \frac{75 \, \text{m}}{250 \, \text{m/s}} = 0.3 \, \text{s}$. Plugging this time into the formula for vertical displacement, we get $y = \frac{1}{2} \times 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \times (0.3 \, \text{s})^2 = 0.441 \, \text{m}$, which rounds to $0.44 \, \text{m}$.

The Shot "Heard 'Round the World" Was Fired in Concord