Final answer:
The two key factors to hitting a target with a handgun are compensating for gravity with gun sight adjustments and understanding the distance to the target. Muzzle velocity and air resistance directly influence these factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two vital factors to hitting the target with a handgun are the adjustment of gun sights to compensate for gravity and understanding the distance to the target. For instance:
(a) If a gun is sighted to hit targets 100.0 m away, it will hit significantly lower at a target 150.0 m away due to the projectile dropping more as it travels further, affected by gravity.
(b) A larger muzzle velocity would mean that the bullet travels faster, thus gravity has less time to act upon it before it reaches the target, resulting in a flatter trajectory and potentially less drop. Air resistance also plays a role, slowing down the bullet over longer distances, which in turn affects how low the bullet will hit compared to where it is aimed.