Greetings everyone! Lately, we've been going over projectile motion
in my high school physics classes. One of my students asked me a question
pertaining to both rifles and potato guns. Does the length of the barrel of
the gun help determine the velocity of the projectile?
I'm not a hunter or shooting enthusiast, but I have fired some guns in
the past. I'm actually ignorant as to the makings and purposes of the various
parts of a gun. I know in the barrel of the gun it is usually spirraled to
help induce a spin on the bullet to help keep the bullet from tumbling. Can
the length of the barrel actually help increase or decrease the velocity of
the projectile once it leaves the barrel? In other words, if I have two
identical bullets, but one is fired from a gun with a long barrel and the
other with a short barrel, will there be any difference?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.