The aerodynamic wall

Source abstract

We study the trajectory of dense projectiles subjected to gravity and drag at large Reynolds number. We show that two types of trajectories can be observed: if the initial velocity is smaller than the terminal velocity of free fall, we observe the classical Galilean parabola: if it is larger, the projectile decelerates with an asymmetric trajectory first drawn by Tartaglia, which ends with a nearly vertical fall, as if a wall impeded the movement. This regime is often observed in sports, fireworks, watering, etc. and we study its main characteristics.