[supercat]

Uh, someone needs to tell them their physics suck. 400ft/sec is over 270 miles/hr. Faster than any hurricane has ever gusted.

Yes, but if the bullet was in a heavier container, and if the two objects, together with a third even larger object, had a mutually perfectly elastic collision with a stationary object, then the kinetic energy of the larger objects could get transfered to the bullet.

For a demonstration of this principle, drop a tennis ball and basketball together with the tennis ball on top. If you do it right, the tennis ball will bounce to a much greater height than that from which it was originally dropped. If you can manage a 3-way stack, the results will be more impressive still.

Of course, to suggest that some bullets in a coffee can would have such perfect chance collisions is absurd, but it could at least theoretically be arranged.

[Swordmaker]

Of course, to suggest that some bullets in a coffee can would have such perfect chance collisions is absurd, but it could at least theoretically be arranged.

Actually, they showed this particular bullet drop to the ground... lay there a bit, levitate itself off the ground about a half an inch from the force of wind, wiggle a little bit, kind of gets itself oriented properly, and THEN shoot off to achieve its ultimate destiny... to KILL! it was laughable.

[Bogey78O]

I forgot about that. It didn't enter my mind because of the absurdity of it.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Yes, but if the bullet was in a heavier container, and if the two objects, together with a third even larger object, had a mutually perfectly elastic collision with a stationary object, then the kinetic energy of the larger objects could get transfered to the bullet.

The K.E. of a stationary object is exactly -zero-. Thus, there is none to transfer.

In any case, it's OK, writers aren't physicists, and it's OK for them to portray something totally outside the bounds of physics, as long as the message the portrayal is supporting is "good". < /major sarcasm>