answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Guns do have varying degrees of "kick" when they are fired; the amount of kick depends on the weapon and the type of round being fired. In some cases the kick is substantial and training is needed to avoid injury to the shooter. But guns do have mass, so the gun's own inertia helps to dampen the kick. I think it's not only the bullets or their speed that need to be accounted for. In a sense, a gun is a special case of jet engine at the moment of firing, and all the gasses and particles ignited during the firing act like jet fuel propelling the gun backwards. By Newton's third law of motion, every force exerted by A on B is equally exerted by B on A. So the force that propels the bullet and gases forwards from the gun also propels the gun backwards. The gun does not accelerate to anything like the speed of the bullet because: * Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass, and the gun is much heavier than the bullet. * Your shoulder or hand works against the force from the explosion. Despite the fact that the gun exerts as much force against you as against the bullet, you are not injured. This is chiefy because your region of contact with the weapon is a much greater area than the wrong end of the bullet, distributing the force over a wide area.

User Avatar

Wiki User

16y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

AnswerBot

5mo ago

This is due to Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When the gun fires a bullet forward, the force propelling the bullet also pushes back on the gun. However, because the gun is much more massive than the bullet, the speed at which the gun recoils is much slower than the speed of the bullet.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why does a gun not move backwards with the same speed the bullets move forward?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

Why must the open end of the balloon face backwards if you want the car to move forward?

Because of Newton's law. This states that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. Thus facing the balloon backwards when attached to the car and letting the air out causes the air mass in the balloon to be expelled BACKWARDS. The law then says that the car must be pushed FORWARDS with an equal force. This is how a space rocket works.


What is the forward speed of a hurricane?

Hurricanes can move at different speeds, but on average they move at about 10-20 miles per hour. However, faster-moving hurricanes can reach speeds of 30 mph or more. The forward speed of a hurricane can also vary depending on environmental conditions and geographic location.


Is it possible for glaciers to move backwards?

Glaciers can move in any direction, including backwards, but typically they move in the direction of their accumulating mass (downhill). Factors such as changes in temperature, pressure, and topography can influence the direction of glacier movement.


Does time always move at a constant speed?

The speed of light is always the same as long as it's traveling through the same medium. But its speed is different in different media, and those are all less than its speed in vacuum.


When a car stops suddenly the passengers tend to move forward relative to their seats Why?

When a car stops suddenly, the passengers tend to move forward relative to their seats due to inertia. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion, so when the car stops suddenly, the passengers continue to move forward at the car's original speed until the seatbelt or seat stops them.

Related questions

What is heavy when you move it forward but not when you move it backwards?

your arms.


What would happen if someone built a cannon that weighed as the cannon ball?

The cannon would want to move backwards with the same speed as the ball wants to move forward.


Which way can a toy car move?

forward and backwards


What game do the winner move backwards and the runner-ups move forward?

The winners in a "tug of war" go backwards


You tease when you kiss but not by kissing?

The best way to tease when kissing, is to pull back. When the other person tries to kiss you, move your head backwards at about the same speed as he/she is moving her/his head forward to kiss you. Then when he/she stops moving forward (and probably laughs) move in for the actual kiss yourself.


How do you move in mine - craft on a laptop?

you use a,w,d, and s. a=move <-- d=move --> w=move forward s=move backwards


Did women move forward or backwards in terms of equality with men during the 1950s?

backward


Can you move backwards in checkers?

Only a king can move in any direction in checkers. All other pieces can only move forward.


How do you get a john deere 155c automatic to move forward?

The pedal at your right foot. Press forward to go forward and back on a heel tread to go backwards.


What is the move of a pawn?

Assuming you are talking about chess, it always moves forward. It can only move 1 step forward if already moved. If it hasn't been moved then it can move 2 forward. And it can only attack diagonally forward either to the left or right never backwards.


Why does a car move forward while traveling on a road even though its wheels are equipped to spin backwards?

The wheels only appear to spin backwards.


Why cant the great white move backwards instead of forward?

The shark can only be propelled forward (or turn in a circle) by sideways movement of the tail.