Denny Mark. Their Arrows will Darken the Sun. The Evolution and Science of Ballistics

(Mark Denny. Their arrows will darken the light of the sun. The evolution of ballistics as a science.)Baltimore, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011. — 184 p.Ballistic science has been important to humans for as long as they have hunted or waged war, but it is only over the past 250 years that the scientific discipline of ballistics has matured from a craft art. A deep understanding of modern ballistics theory requires specialized study over several years, and yet it holds a fascination for nonspecialists. You most likely would not have picked up a book explaining the science of thermodynamics, for example, though thermodynamics is probably more important to our daily lives — so why a book on ballistics? Maybe because of the popularity of hunting and target shooting. Ballistics and guns go together like ham and eggs, although, as we will see, ballistics applies to rocks, arrows, bombs, rockets, and flaming pianos as well as to bullets.
Why read a concise, semitechnical account of ballistics such as this one? Maybe because you’re too busy earning a living to do a degree in ballistics but are left unsatisfied by some of the Sunday comics explanations of how it all works. You will not become a better shooter simply by reading this book: you know better than I do about the practicalities of your hobby, be it benchrest, bow hunting, or BBs.Bang! Internal Ballistics.
Before Gunpowder.
Gunpowder Weapons.
The Development of Modern Firearms: New Technical Challenges.
Whizz! External Ballistics.
Short-Range Trajectories: Elementary Aerodynamics.
Long-Range Trajectories: Advanced Aerodynamics.
New Technology, New Ballistics.
Thud! Terminal Ballistics.
Stopping the Target.
Final Thoughts.
Technical Notes.