Final answer:
The methods of firing a mortar involve aerodynamic considerations and the tactical employment of the weapon system. Historical and physical contexts also play a role in understanding the development of military tactics, such as pyramidal storage of cannonballs, volley fire with early firearms, and calculations of force and acceleration in fired projectiles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The methods of firing the M224 60mm mortar involve projecting a shell into the air, considering factors such as air friction. When cannon balls were commonly used, a pyramidal arrangement allowed for efficient storage and access. Early machine guns like the Maxim gun required a crew to manage ammunition and prevent overheating. The adoption of firearms such as the arquebus led to new military tactics like volley fire to optimize their effectiveness in battle. Moreover, understanding the principles behind gun-type fission bombs and the physics of fired projectiles, like a fireworks shell, can give insights into the forces and accelerations involved in projectile weaponry.
Regarding the last example provided regarding fireworks, if we were to calculate the shell's velocity when it leaves the mortar, the average acceleration of the shell in the tube, and the average force on the shell, we would use the following physics equations:
- To find the velocity when the shell leaves the mortar, we can use the kinematic equation that relates displacement, initial velocity, final velocity, and acceleration.
- The average acceleration can be calculated by taking the change in velocity and dividing it by the time over which the change occurs.
- To determine the average force on the shell, we would use Newton's second law of motion that states force equals mass times acceleration.