Muzzle velocity design. In a side by side comparison with the .50 BMG, the titanium round "of any caliber" released almost 28 times the energy of the .50 BMG, with only a 27% mean loss in momentum. Energy, in most cases, is what is lethal to the target, not momentum. In conventional guns, muzzle velocity is determined by the quantity of the propellant (burn speed, expansion), the mass of the projectile, and the length of the barrel. A slower-burning propellant needs a longer barrel to burn completely, but can, on the other hand, use a heavier projectile. A faster-burning propellant may accelerate
Escape velocity velocity and the escape velocity. With a circular orbit, escape velocity is times the orbital speed. Thus the total escape velocity formula_29 when leaving one body orbiting a second and seeking to escape them both is, under simplified assumptions: where formula_31 for circular orbits. The last two columns will depend precisely where in orbit escape velocity is reached, as the orbits are not exactly circular (particularly Mercury and Pluto). Let "G" be the gravitational constant and let "M" be the mass of the earth (or other gravitating body) and "m" be the mass of the escaping body or projectile. At