Title: (Optional) Distinguish among internal ballistics, external ballistics, and terminal ballistics.
Course: Forensic Technology (15055) > Section: Analyzing Tool Marks, Firearms, and Other Impressions

Distinction should be made among

- internal ballistics—the behavior of the bullet and cartridge case inside the barrel
- external ballistics—the flight of the projectile through the air and the forces that act upon it
- terminal ballistics—the action of the projectile on the target.

Process/Skill Questions:

- How does rifling affect the bullet and the cartridge case?
- What is the effect of using the wrong-sized ammunition in a weapon of a certain caliber?
- What are the forces that act on a projectile when it leaves the weapon?
- What is the normal path of flight for a projectile?
- When a projectile encounters living tissue, what are the typical patterns seen in bone? In soft tissue?