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<blockquote data-quote="freyar" data-source="post: 6686178" data-attributes="member: 40227">Well, there's something in common between firing a gun in space and on earth: the bullet (and &quot;exhaust&quot; or whatever you call the byproducts of the exploding gunpowder) would come out of the muzzle in a straight line, and you'd feel the recoil and start moving in a straight line in the opposite direction but with equal momentum to the bullet.&nbsp; That's all that happens in space.On earth, quite a few other things happen. First off, the bullet falls toward the ground, so it doesn't really quite move in a straight line after it leaves the gun.&nbsp; Air resistance also slows the bullet down, so it doesn't move quite as fast as it would in space.&nbsp; And that exhaust (and potentially turbulence of the bullet in the air) will create sound.&nbsp; If the bullet is moving fast enough, it will make a sonic boom. And, of course, you still feel the recoil, but unless you're on wheels, chances are that your friction with the earth means that the recoil affects you and the earth together; since the earth is so massive, the recoil speed is effectively zero.&nbsp; And then, after the flight of the bullet, all the bullet's momentum gets transferred to the earth and atmosphere, so the recoil stops.So actually, firing the gun on earth is a lot more complicated than in space, I think.EDIT: also, what Umbran said.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="freyar, post: 6686178, member: 40227"] Well, there's something in common between firing a gun in space and on earth: the bullet (and "exhaust" or whatever you call the byproducts of the exploding gunpowder) would come out of the muzzle in a straight line, and you'd feel the recoil and start moving in a straight line in the opposite direction but with equal momentum to the bullet. That's all that happens in space. On earth, quite a few other things happen. First off, the bullet falls toward the ground, so it doesn't really quite move in a straight line after it leaves the gun. Air resistance also slows the bullet down, so it doesn't move quite as fast as it would in space. And that exhaust (and potentially turbulence of the bullet in the air) will create sound. If the bullet is moving fast enough, it will make a sonic boom. And, of course, you still feel the recoil, but unless you're on wheels, chances are that your friction with the earth means that the recoil affects you and the earth together; since the earth is so massive, the recoil speed is effectively zero. And then, after the flight of the bullet, all the bullet's momentum gets transferred to the earth and atmosphere, so the recoil stops. So actually, firing the gun on earth is a lot more complicated than in space, I think. EDIT: also, what Umbran said. [/QUOTE]

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