402-External Ballistics Primer for Engineers - Part I: Aerodynamics & Projectile Motion

By: Terry A. Willemin, P.E.

Preview Course Read/Print Test Author's Page

Having trouble opening course PDF documents?

Course Objective

This course was written to introduce engineers of any discipline to the basics of external ballistics. The engineer will gain a general understanding of many of the factors, effects and forces which affect the flight path of a projectile in unpowered flight.

Course Description

402-External Ballistics Primer for Engineers - Part I: Aerodynamics & Projectile Motion

The intriguing subject of this primer explores the characteristics of the unpowered portion of flight of a projectile on a ballistic trajectory, or external ballistics. It was created for the broad range of engineers who have an interest in learning the basics of external ballistics. In order to accurately describe the factors, which affect the trajectory of an object on a ballistic flight path and the path itself, an engineer will rely on rigorous calculations, computer simulations and experimental data. For the purposes of this primer, gun related pun intended, we only resort to a conceptual understanding of the mechanics, augmented by the use of simplified equations including mentions of some of the governing equations with focuses on some specialized cases. The focus areas are kept concise so that tangential topics such as orbital mechanics are generally not treated. The course has been broken into two parts. Part I targets the aerodynamic characteristics of general projectiles in flight and relevant factors which affect its flight path. In Part II we dive into the use of associated measurement hardware an engineer or ballistician might use to characterize flight paths and conclude with a spotlight on the physics of the ballistic pendulum.

Questions about this course? Email the Author: willemta@vt.edu

Star (6)
Star (3)
Star(0)
Star (0)
Star (0)

(4.7) 9 Reviews

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

08/18/2023

Verified Buyer

Very well designed and interesting material. Excellent spreadsheet

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

Steven L Faseler, PE

09/10/2021

Verified Buyer

It's not really what I expected, but it was a good course. Test Question 4, answer d corresponds to a . . . Wherever an equation is given, you really need to tell us its units! Providing units in both SI and imperial systems of units would be very helpful. This is true both in the handout and in the spreadsheet.

Portions of the reviewers comments have been removed because they discuss the answers to test questions

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

John Kitowski

07/27/2021

Verified Buyer

Really enjoyed the course. Good top level description of the physics involved. Had to refresh understanding of units since I studied engineering in the last century.

2 of 2 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

BARRY S MINES

07/24/2021

Verified Buyer

thought the course was challenging and took more time that i thought it would.

1 of 1 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

Charles Kennedy

07/22/2021

Verified Buyer

Good course, I've worked pretty extensively with firearms external balistics.

4 of 4 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

James Fawcett

04/01/2021

Verified Buyer

A good course. The software was easy to use. It is a difficult subject with a lot of conversion factors to review.

2 of 2 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

Review of: External Ballistics Primer for Engineers

Robert Wingard

02/23/2021

Verified Buyer

Good presentation of interesting material. Calculations provide an opportunity to refresh. I was disappointed the author never responded to my two requests for corrections to two exam questions.

2 of 3 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

Nice work

John Molloy

12/30/2020

Verified Buyer

Bearing in mind that I'm just a metallurgist, I still found this course entertaining, engaging and intuitive, without compromising rigor too much for a 3 hr course.

4 of 4 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

402-External Ballistics Primer for Engineers - Part I: Aerodynamics & Projectile Motion

Brian Mitsch

12/22/2020

Verified Buyer

Terry did a good job of simplifying a difficult subject in a manner that allowed a student to learn some interesting information on projectile motion. I also liked his sense of humor, used to keep you interested in the subject.

7 of 7 customers found this helpful.

Was this helpful?

SAVE 20%

Order the Complete Set of 2 Courses for $126.00!

Click Here to Order & Save

You Must Use This Button to Get The Savings

This Course Includes FREE Software

Course Code: 100294-01

Course PDH Hours: 3

Engineering Course Approvals

This course is accepted for engineering continuing education credit in all US states, territories, the District of Columbia, and Canadian provinces.
Ohio rules allow only 6-hours of unsupervised online courses such as this course per license renewal period
Kansas rules allow only 5-hours of self-study courses such as this course per license renewal period

About Course Approvals

Other Courses by Terry A. Willemin, P.E.

Course Title Rating Hours Price

411-External Ballistics Primer for Engineers - Part II: Test Equipment

(4.8) 4 Reviews

$90.00

Local Copy of Course Preview