Abstract
The ‘skimming’ of stones on water is a subject of perennial fascination for children andadults alike. In this article I describe the construction of an apparatus for safely andreproducibly demonstrating a similar phenomenon: the bouncing of 25 mm diameter steelballs from a water surface. The ‘bouncing’ is technically known as a ricochet and the articlerecounts the use of the effect in the Second World War in the ‘Dam Busting’ airraids of 1943. A number of calculations are made which allow an estimate ofthe projectile speed and energy, and the use of simple experimental techniquesfor validating these estimates is suggested. The role of spin is discussed, and aliterature review collates the available empirical and theoretical results concerning theincident angle and speed for successful ricochet of spinning and non-spinningprojectiles.
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