The aerodynamic wall

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.