Being Bullet Proof

[Silvercrow]

It's been bugging me for a while, if a person was bullet proof surely the bullets would bounce off, similar to a richoet? I mean in comics, movies and books I've never come across anyone been injured or killed by a stray bullter bouncing off someones skin? where does the momentum go?

Not sure if this is in the right place if notI'm sure a mod will move it.

[Donald M.]

I think it depends where the bullet hits.

A center of body mass hit, the bullet would be crushed and the momentum expended against the chest/back/whatever of the bullet-proof individual, I'm guessing. Not exactly a physics major here.

A glancing hit would ricochet, undoubtedly.

[Darrell D.]

I think in The Pro, bullets ricochet off of the Superman analogue and kill several hostages. But, that would be Garth Ennis' dark humor at work.

[carabas]

It depends on the tecture that skin would have.
If it literally was steel skin à la Colusus, sure.
If it was just bullet proof but stil generally soft an pliable, probably not. Bullets do not ricochet off a cop's bulletproof vest.

I reckon the angle the bullet hits woumld also be a huge factor. Does anybody know if you simply shoot straight at a steel wall, if the bullet bounces off, or simply flattens against it?

[Deskad]

Being bullet proof =/= being rigid.

[Dreadstar]

Depends on how elastic the skin is, as carabas says. The key component is going to be how much kinetic energy is absorbed. But even very pliant "bullet-proof" skin wouldn't hold a bullet like a kevlar vest. I'd suggest that all the bullets would bounce off, or ricochet, to a certain extent.

[Silvercrow]

Thing that bugs me if they did ricohet they wouldn't the likes of Superman be forever chasing them. Green Lantern force fields are more than bullet proof and i doubt there pliable where do the bullets go!.


I want to see more comic public out cry by stray bullets killing people

[CannonFodder]

Green Lantern force fields are more than bullet proof and i doubt there pliable where do the bullets go!.


I would think a GL shield could be made to cancel or absorb a bullet's kinetic energy, if the Lantern could imagine it propertly.

[Dreadstar]

Not to get to far into the comic theoretical physics realm, for that way lies madness, but the Green Lantern force shield (and indeed, most any theoretical force shield) could be easily written off as fully absorbing kinetic energy. Since we need not reconcile it with real-world physics in the first place, we don't need to explain it further. And I may have just set a precedent for self-inflicted irony.

[howyadoin]

Not to get to far into the comic theoretical physics realm, for that way lies madness, but the Green Lantern force shield (and indeed, most any theoretical force shield) could be easily written off as fully absorbing kinetic energy.Much like Captain America's shield.

[dupont2005]

I think it depends where the bullet hits.

A center of body mass hit, the bullet would be crushed and the momentum expended against the chest/back/whatever of the bullet-proof individual, I'm guessing. Not exactly a physics major here.

A glancing hit would ricochet, undoubtedly.

there used to be this rural area out here that was popular with shooting. it was like a canyon in the middle of the desert. probably the fault line, it is in that area. anyways, the bottom of the cliff edge was filled with dirt that had blown in and piled up, perfect for shooting at. the higher up along the cliff edge, the less sand was there until it was just solid rock. i have fired at the rock and the bullets do ricochet and not shatter, well, not as far as i can tell. you can hear a "bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" noise. sounds like one solid object. of course, after i realized what happened i stuck to firing lower on the cliff edge. but yeah you can fire dead on at solid stone and get a good ricochet. i have seen a youtube video of a guy getting hit by his own ricochet

It depends on the tecture that skin would have.
If it literally was steel skin à la Colusus, sure.
If it was just bullet proof but stil generally soft an pliable, probably not. Bullets do not ricochet off a cop's bulletproof vest.

I reckon the angle the bullet hits woumld also be a huge factor. Does anybody know if you simply shoot straight at a steel wall, if the bullet bounces off, or simply flattens against it?
yep. shock distribution

[crazyredlady]

I smell another Mythbuster's episode:evilsmile:

[mgs]

It's been bugging me for a while, if a person was bullet proof surely the bullets would bounce off, similar to a richoet? I mean in comics, movies and books I've never come across anyone been injured or killed by a stray bullter bouncing off someones skin? where does the momentum go?

Not sure if this is in the right place if notI'm sure a mod will move it.
where does the momentum go? :confused:

learn thee some simple physics, Silvercrow! :wink:

[Toreador]

There have been some Superman stories where Supes has addressed that danger and would catch the bullets as they bounce of him to prevent bystanders from being hit by richocets.

One thing to consider is that even though a person is bulletproof the impact of the bullet should push them back unless they also have some superstrength to push back at the bullet. Or be standing against a wall or something similiar.