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11
Lateral Throwoff
Earlier in the text, we stated that projectiles rarely leave the tube with their velocity vec-
tors aligned with the geometric axis of the gun tube. This chapter and Chapter 12 describe
this behavior. The result of this behavior is weapon inaccuracy and it must be well under-
stood by the practicing ballistician because, although it is not practical to completely elimi-
nate the behavior, we would like to reduce it to acceptable levels. The rst component of
this behavior is known as lateral throwoff. It is a dynamic response of the projectile to
either a static or a dynamic imbalance and will now be described in detail.
If ...