In the modern Russian language every year there are more and more borrowed foreign words. This is a trend that cannot be avoided. At the same time, few people know that the process of borrowing foreign words began a long time ago and was mainly associated with the development of military affairs. However, there are cases when a word that has appeared in one area gradually moves to others.
The word "ricochet" is one example of such borrowing. What is a ricochet? When and where did this word get into the Russian language? What meanings does ricochet currently have, in what areas is it used? All information related to this word can be found by reading a short article.
Origin
According to the results of a study conducted by linguists, in the modern Russian language there are more than one and a half thousand words that “migrated” here from the French language. Among them are such familiar ones as the postman, companion, apricot, secretary, wine glass, screen. The word "ricochet" was no exception.
So, the meaning of the word ricochet (from French - ricochet) is the reflection of an object from the surface when it touches at an acute angle.
The word is borrowed from the French language around the 17th century, which is associated with the developmentfirearms in the Russian Empire.
Use in ballistics
What is a ricochet in ballistics? This concept is unpleasant for most shooters. Ricochet in this case, the projectile fired by the shooter, usually a bullet. In ballistics, bullet ricochet refers to the reflection of a projectile by the surface of an obstacle, against which the projectile hits at an angle, usually sharp, accompanied by a characteristic howling sound.
Patterns in the ricochet of a weapon projectile
While studying the phenomenon of projectile ricochet, gunsmiths have identified several clear patterns.
Firstly, the lighter the projectile and the higher the speed, the greater its chances of being reflected from the surface.
Secondly, the chance of ricochet increases with such a trajectory of the bullet, which ensures the contact of the projectile with the surface at an acute angle. It turns out that the sharper the angle, the higher the chance of a rebound? In most cases this is true, but there are some exceptions.
Third, the harder the surface, the higher the chances of a bullet ricocheting. There are rare cases when a bullet ricochets off the surface even with a direct hit, for example, when shooting at rails made of especially strong steel and having a significant thickness. Also, eyewitnesses describe cases when bullets, when hitting the hard surface of the blade while shooting at targets, ricocheted back and flew dangerously close to the shooters.
Fourthly, after a ricochet at an acute angle, the properties of the projectile to hit a livethe strength of the enemy. Under certain circumstances, it is even advisable to fire ricochet to achieve the best result.
As it turned out, not only a very hard surface is capable of reflecting a projectile. It has been proven that ricochets can also come from snow, and even from water. In the case of the last surface, it is necessary that the angle of the trajectory of the bullet in contact with the surface should vary from 8 to 12 degrees.
It is paradoxical that ricochet is practically excluded when a bullet hits the surface at a very high speed (faster than 1,000 meters per second).
A ricocheted bullet fired from a hunting rifle can fly up to 2,700 meters, while retaining the ability to cause significant damage to the target for a long time.
All of the above facts make the ricochet a very dangerous phenomenon that can lead to tragic consequences.
Examples of unsuccessful bullet ricochets
For example, in April 2014, a woman was taken to the Central District Hospital of the Voronezh Region with a gunshot wound to the head. When clarifying the facts of the incident, it was established that the woman, when she was injured, was in the cemetery, where she looked after the graves of her relatives. At a distance of one kilometer from the cemetery there was a military shooting range, where two men were shooting their weapons. Despite the fact that the shooting range was equipped according to all requirements, the official version is the ricochet of a bullet that flew over a kilometer andhit the victim in the head. The woman miraculously survived.
Another case in the history of the criminal law of the United States of America ended in a more tragic outcome. A projectile fired from a Parabellum pistol flew over the surface of the ocean for an incredible distance for such a weapon - 5 miles! True, at the same time, the bullet allegedly made several ricochets on the flat surface of ocean water. A piece of lead "finished" in the temple of a woman driving along the coastal freeway along the ocean in her convertible. The woman died on the spot.
There are many such cases, and that is why when shooting, you must always be guided by safety rules and hunting ethics. Weapons are extremely dangerous things, mostly not intended for games and entertainment. You can never say with absolute certainty whether a bullet will ricochet or not.
Spread in the game of billiards
What is a ricochet in billiards? A significant part of the game is based on the competent use of this phenomenon. A good player is distinguished not only by the set technique, but also by the ability to correctly calculate the angle of rebound.
There are two types of surfaces in this game that ricochet off of. The first surface is a rubberized board of the playing field, covered with cloth. The second - other billiard balls. In this sport, there is a special terminology, where an important place is given to the types of rebound. Here are some of them.
Billiard terms,related to ricochet
- Abricol is a technique in which the main ball hits the board, and then reaches the desired ball.
- Carom is a kind of trick in which the cue ball, hitting one object ball, hits another.
- Triplet is a ricochet of the ball from two borders of the playing field.
- Troisbane - a reflection of the ball from the three boards of the playing field.
- Katrban - a technique in which the ball is reflected from all sides of the field.
General rules of ricochet in billiards
Firstly, the harder the hit, the stronger the rebound from the playing field will be.
Secondly, if the cue ball hits the object ball with a direct hit, that is, in the center of gravity, and not in the side, then the cue ball loses most of its energy, transferring it to the object ball. If the cue ball did not hit the center of the object ball, but only hooked it, then it saves its energy and goes on rolling around the playing field.
Bounce shot while playing billiards
Billiard masters are increasingly resorting to jump shots. This technique consists in hitting the cue ball at an angle that raises the ball above the surface of the playing field, as a rule, bypassing existing obstacles. In fact, the billiard ball bounces with almost any impact, but it is not always possible to catch this moment with the naked eye. Often this technique is used in a variation of the game called "Nine", where the rules provide for a sequential sequence of object balls hitting the pocket in ascending order.
Ricochets inteam sports
Ricochets in game team sports are a very common phenomenon that can greatly affect the course of a sporting event. The rebound phenomenon is very eloquently expressed in the most popular sport on the planet - football. The ricochet acquires the greatest importance in football when hitting the goal. Any goalkeeper waiting for a kick calculates the trajectory of his flight and prepares to play as efficiently as possible. If the soccer ball hits a field player of one of the teams who got in the way of the projectile to the goal, then the direction of the ball, as a rule, changes significantly. A projectile ricochet for a goalkeeper is a goal with a high degree of probability. The goalkeeper in such a situation remains taken by surprise, so he is no longer able to help out his team.
The ricochets of a soccer ball on the accidentally exposed hand of the defender of the pen alty area of the defending team end no less tragically. As a rule, the referee, without hesitation, points to the pen alty mark, appointing a pen alty. A pen alty is almost a missed goal.
Answering the question "What is a ricochet?" and having considered examples of this phenomenon in everyday life, we can draw the following conclusion. Ricochet is an undesirable and unpleasant phenomenon in most cases, although under certain circumstances it can be useful.
