Answer :

Final answer:

The flight path that a bullet takes from the rifle to the target is called its trajectory, a fundamental concept in the study of projectile motion in physics, influenced by gravity, initial velocity, and air resistance.

Explanation:

The flight path that a bullet takes from the rifle to the target is called its trajectory. In physics, especially when discussing projectile motion, an object's trajectory is the path that it follows as it moves under the influence of forces such as gravity and air resistance. When a bullet is fired, it doesn’t travel in a straight line but follows a curved, parabolic path due to the Earth's gravity pulling it downwards. This trajectory is affected by factors such as the bullet’s initial velocity, the angle of launch, and air resistance. For example, aiming a gun to hit a target that is neither uphill nor downhill from the shooter requires compensating for gravity's effect on the bullet over distance, which is why gun sights are adjusted to aim slightly higher than the target at specific ranges. Understanding the trajectory is crucial for accurately hitting a target from a distance.


The concept of a trajectory is a fundamental part of projectile motion, which is not only applicable to bullets but also to any object propelled through space, such as a thrown ball or an arrow. Manipulating the factors that affect the trajectory allows for precise targeting, such as adjusting the gun sights for specific distances to compensate for the bullet's drop due to gravity.

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