How Guns Work :: essays research papers

How Guns WorkA gun is a weapon that uses the force of an explosive propellent to project amissile.Guns or firearms are classified by the diameter of the barrel opening. This isknown as the calibre of the gun. Anything with a calibre up to and including .60 calibre(0.6 inches) is known as a firearm.The precise origin of the gun is unknown, although they were in use by the early14th century and were common place in Europe by mid-century. These early gunswere nothing more than large calibre cylinders of wrought iron or cast bronze,closed at one oddment and loaded by placing gunpowder and projectile in the muzzle,or open end.Nowadays firearms are a little more sophisticated.However, the physics behind whole guns remain the same. Weapons such as cannons,shotguns and rifles, work on the basic idea of conservation of momentum and thechange in energy from potential to kinetic.When the offset is pulled the power hammer hits the firing pin. The firing pin thenhits the primer which causes the powder to burn hence producing lots of gases.This causes the volume behind the bullet to fill with extremely blue extortgas. The gas pushes on every surface it encounters, including the bullet infront of it and the base of the gun barrel behind it. The increase in pressurecaused by the gases causes the bullet to be forced into the barrel hence causingthe bullet to come out the muzzle at very high speeds. in one case the bullet is fired,it remains in motion from its momentum. The momentum will carry the bulletuntil it strikes an object or gravity pulls the bullet towards the earth.Firearms change potential chemical substance energy into kinetic energy in the actualfiring of the gun. Many people do not realise that the force imparted byaccelerating the bullet is not the only force acting on the gun, or the shooter.Grains of burned gun powder are sent out the muzzle at high velocity. When thetrigger is pulled, the hammer strikes a small charge at the end of the shell,the ammunit ion. This charge ignites vitriolic gun powder packed behind the leadball bearings. When the black gun powder burns, it produces gas that rapidlyexpands with the burning of more black gun powder. High pressure gases exertforces on the back of the bullet and on the gun. The only way for the gas toescape is to push the bullet out of its way through the end of the barrel. Thisis how a bullet is fired from a gun.