You are standing a far ways away from the base of a tree from which a monkey is hanging on a branch exactly 5 meters above the ground.

This monkey has psychic relaxation syndrome, which means that as soon as the gun goes off, he will let go of the tree branch without realizing it and fall down.

The problem with this is the monkey will fall, and not be where it was before you shot the gun, so it will be in another spot when the bullet is next to the tree. How far below the spot where the monkey's tail is before the shot is fired should you aim so the monkey's tail will be hit regardless of its "letting go" of the tree branch?

(Assume there is zero air resistance.)

The solution works in theory, but like the hunter said you need more information about the gun for it to really work.  Bullets fired from a rifle to not travel in a straight line.  They have a trajectory.  Bullets travel up before falling back to earth.

Posted by Bruce Brantley on 2004-08-22 03:19:29