ballistics

[buh-lis-tiks]

noun (usually used with a singular verb)

the science or study of the motion of projectiles, as bullets, shells, or bombs.

the art or science of designing projectiles for maximum flight performance.

Origin of ballistics

First recorded in 1745–55; see origin at ballistic, -ics

Related formsbal·lis·ti·cian

[bal-uh-stish-uh n] /ˌbæl əˈstɪʃ ən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ballistics

Contemporary Examples of ballistics

He admitted in court that he was not a pathologist, and that he did not have any formal training in ballistics or sound.
Disastrous Turn By Star Witness For Pistorius Defense
Kelly Berold
April 17, 2014
As he puts it in terms that could apply to ballistics, he is “plotting an arc of motions that plotted me.”
Joseph McElroy’s ‘Cannonball’ Is the Meta Iraq War Novel
Tom LeClair
July 25, 2013
But DiMaio, with his ballistics and forensic credentials, may have been more persuasive.
Experts: George Zimmerman Just Caught a Big Break
Christine Pelisek
July 10, 2013
To be sure, there are professorships, and ballistics experts in the Navy, but these aren't actually all that well paid.
Educational Inequality
Megan McArdle
June 27, 2013
(The cases were linked through DNA and ballistics evidence).
Hunt for L.A.’s ‘Teardrop Rapist’ May Hinge on Familial DNA Testing
Christine Pelisek
June 30, 2012

Historical Examples of ballistics

Ballistics—the science dealing with the motion of projectiles.
Artillery Through the Ages
Albert Manucy
It was during the sixteenth century that the science of ballistics had its beginning.
Artillery Through the Ages
Albert Manucy
What experience have you had in, say, the field of ballistics?
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Forensic, having to do with the law; ballistics, the science of projectiles.
The Arrow of Fire
Roy J. Snell
May I congratulate you, Mr. Morrison, on this interesting achievement in ballistics?
Average Jones
Samuel Hopkins Adams

British Dictionary definitions for ballistics

ballistics

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of the flight dynamics of projectiles, either through the interaction of the forces of propulsion, the aerodynamics of the projectile, atmospheric resistance, and gravity (exterior ballistics), or through these forces along with the means of propulsion, and the design of the propelling weapon and projectile (interior ballistics)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ballistics

1753, "art of throwing; science of projectiles," with -ics + Latin ballista "ancient military machine for hurling stones," from Greek ballistes, from ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay;" from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach," in extended senses "to pierce" (cf. Sanskrit apa-gurya "swinging," balbaliti "whirls, twirls;" Greek bole "a throw, beam, ray," belemnon "dart, javelin," belone "needle"). Here, too, probably belongs Greek ballizein "to dance," literally "to throw one's body," ancient Greek dancing being highly athletic.

ballistics in Science

ballistics

[bə-lĭs′tĭks]

The scientific study of the characteristics of projectiles, such as bullets or missiles, and the way they move in flight.