• meseek #2982@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    6 months ago

    My fav was if you could shoot someone in water. Turns out that just 3 ft. of water was enough to stop a 50 cal! So as great of a film as Saving Private Ryan was, the opening scene where bullets wiz thru the sea killing soldiers was pure fiction.

    • Jarix@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      6 months ago

      Bigger/faster the bullet the easier it was for water to stop. The small rounds from handguns worked best for shooting into water.

      It makes sense once they do the maths but it was a great episode

      • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        6 months ago

        Bigger/faster the bullet the easier it was for water to stop.

        For bullets that’s probably true because of their light weight, but heavy shells from the big naval guns of battleships (12" to 18" caliber) actually carried a long way through water and sometimes hit and damaged target ships below the waterline. The Japanese in particular actually designed some of their shells to maximize their underwater performance.

        • Jarix@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          6 months ago

          I wonder relatively what speed those shells would have to hit the water yo behave like bullets and shatter… You wanna revive myth busters and we can find out? Maybe in honor of Grant on his birthday or something would be cool.

          We just need a lot of money, some military connections and a way to put the team back together for it

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        6 months ago

        It isn’t that the water is stoping the bullet- rather that water’s surface tension creates a shockwave that shatters the bullet, and this distributes the mass over more fragments.

        Lower power cartridges are able to survive that shockwave, or it fragments into fewer slugs which keeps its energy concentrated.

        Either way, I wouldn’t want to be near the high powered cartridge hitting the water. You’re going to feel that shockwave.

        • Jarix@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          6 months ago

          It is the water breaking it. The water doesnt compress so the water doesnt absorb enough of the kinetic energy fast enough so the bullet fractures. As i understand it anyway. The 50cal is travelling a lot faster so a lot more force is applied on the bigger rounds.

          Later on they did a dynamite fishing one and we learned being in water when a large enough shockwave hits is VERY bad for internal organs of squishy creatures in it

          • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            6 months ago

            It’s the surface tension that causes the shockwave, soapy water wouldn’t have the same effect.

            And yes, dynamite explosives are rather more dangerous under water. Which is how torpedos work to break ships without much regard for armor.

            • Jarix@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              6 months ago

              Right so its the water that causes it to break because of the surface tension of the water.

              Sounds like you are arguing against my phrasing while agreeing with what i understand. Im confused why we seem to be in a disagreement.

              Maybe you can school my dumb ass though, can you eli5 what would need to happen for you to say it was the water that does the work on stopping bullets?