Ep 10. Curving Bullets
- TVPG
- June 10, 2009
- 43 min
-
7.3 (136)
Mythbusters season 7 episode 10, titled “Curving Bullets,” features the team tackling one of the most intriguing questions in contemporary culture - can bullets be curved like in the movie Wanted?
The experiment begins with a simple goal: to find out if bullets can be curved by using a curved barrel, as the movie Wanted suggests. The show brings in the experts to understand the physics behind curving bullets and to build the required apparatus. Several different designs of curved barrels are tested, and the team uses a high-speed camera to capture the trajectory of each shot.
As the testing progresses, the team realizes that curving a bullet is not as easy as the movies make it out to be. The team tries several different types of guns and ammunition, but is unsuccessful in curving the bullet along the predicted angle. They discover that bullets do not curve because of a bend in the barrel, but due to the shape of the bullet and the rifling in the gun barrel.
The team then tries to experiment with more exotic methods of curving the bullet, such as spinning it or using explosives to change its trajectory. They also test if curving a bullet only allows it to be accurate at a shorter distance than a straight shot due to the loss of velocity. Furthermore, they examine the possibility of hitting multiple targets with a curved bullet.
As the experiment reaches its conclusion, the team concludes that it is impossible to curve a bullet like in the movies, and that the techniques used in Wanted are solely based on fantasy. The episode closes with an explanation on why curving bullets precisely is a mathematical impossibility.
Mythbusters season 7 episode 10 will intrigue fans of action-packed gunfights and science enthusiasts alike. The show thoroughly outlines the science behind bullet trajectories and explains why curving bullets, though a cool concept in popular culture, is not viable in the real world. The episode is a testament to the scientific method and the importance of testing hypotheses, even if they are based on pure fantasy.
