Impact depth

The impact depth of a projectile is the distance it penetrates into a target before coming to a stop.

The physicist Sir Isaac Newton first developed this idea to get rough approximations for the impact depth for projectiles traveling at high velocities.

Newton's approximation for the impact depth for projectiles at high velocities is based only on momentum considerations.

This approach is only valid for a narrow range of velocities less than the speed of sound within the target or impactor material.

The depth of the crater depends on the material properties of impactor and target, as well as the velocity of impact.