Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

High-Speed Optical Diagnostics of a Supersonic Ping-Pong Cannon
Published on: March 24, 2023
The distribution of shotgun pellets after ricochet from an intermediate target surface
1Department of Forensic Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA. wfrowe@gwu.edu
Abstract:
This paper presents a geometrical model for the ricochet of shotgun pellets from an intermediate target surface. The model predicts that after ricochet the shotgun pellet pattern will be elongated in the direction parallel to the intermediate target surface, as has been found in empirical studies. This paper also shows that the angle of impact theta of a mass of shotgun pellets with a target surface can be calculated without significant error from the width W and the length L of the pellet pattern using the formula: sin theta= W/L.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Projectile Motion: Example
When we speak of the range (R) of a projectile on level...
Impact: Problem Solving
By designating the launch point as the origin and utilizing kinematic equations, the vertical component of the projectile's velocity at the point of impact is...
Conservation of Momentum: Problem Solving
Motion of a Projectile
Horizontal motion, governed by the initial kick, maintains a constant velocity throughout the flight of the soccer ball.
Projectile Motion
When an object falls under gravity and has no horizontal...
Projectile Motion

