JET EFFECT THEORY

    Luis Alverez, A Physicist Examines the Kennedy Assassination Film, American Journal of Physics Vol. 44, No. 9, September 1976, performed a good study of the Zapruder Film but failed to understand his ballistic experiments. Alverez proposed the jet effect theory as the reason Oswald’s third shot to the back of the head caused the backward headsnap. Alverez used tapped covered melons shot with a 30-06 at 3000 ft/sec and found that the melon was propelled towards the shooter and not away as expected. A melon is not a head attached to a body nor does it simulate the skull and energy transference of the bullet. Alverez wrongly assumes most of the kinetic energy of a bullet is transferred to heat and not mechanical energy. A bullets kinetic energy is transformed into the work of penetrating the target, crushing the wood as it penetrates which is then transformed into the movement of the wood block both horizontally and vertically. Alverez totally ignores his own experimental results of the large spray of melon fluid in the direction and path of the exiting bullet. He then ignores the fact that most of JFK’s blood and brain was blown back and left of JFK indicating a frontal shot. Alverez does not disprove a frontal shot as the cause for the head snap he only suggests the “jet effect” theory as a justification for Oswald’s third shot. I have never shot taped melons like Alverez.
   Having shot many closed containers filed with water, the only times the containers falls towards the shooter is when the container split causing near 99% of the water to exit out the very large exit hole. The lighter container is then moved slightly towards the shooter by the 1% of water that was being forced out the entry hole due to the increased pressure prior to the bullet exit. Pascal’s law, fluid pressure is the same in all directions. As the bullet penetrates the container the internal pressure increases forcing fluid out the entry towards the shooter. The large exit occurs and the container bursts releasing most of the fluid away from the shooter. Due to the light weight of the now empty container the fluid moving towards the shooter via the entry I able to move the container towards the shooter. The jet effect is real but of a very minimal force that rarely occurs in water filed heavy containers and probably never in animal or human targets. The jet effect is limited to very light weight containers filed with water and not heavy bodies. The jet effect could not account for JFK’s head snap as explained under “Bullet impact to the Skull #5 and #6” above. In the case of JFK the skin flap folded over the right ear after the explosion of the head dissipating the last of the jet effect energy of the frontal entry.
   Principles of physics must be followed in evaluating the assassination. Bullet energy transfer to the body is obtained by measuring velocity at entry and exit. Newton’s laws: momentum is conserved in a collision to wit the momentum “before” has to equal the momentum after. Momentum is transferred along the line of flight to the object struck. Likewise energy is conserved to wit total energy of a system of bodies in isolation is always constant although energy transformations may occur from one form to another within the system. Thus a change in kinetic energy must equal a change in potential energy plus other dissipative forces such as work or movement, friction, heat, and etc. Energy is never destroyed but transformed within the system. Likewise fluid pressure is the same in all directions. Pascal’s law: An external pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted uniformly throughout the volume of the liquid. Fluid transmits pressure undiminished in a hydraulic press. The head is simply a closed container filled with water. Newton’s second law of motion: When a force acts upon a body, it produces an acceleration in the direction of the force, an acceleration that is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. When two bullets enter the right temple area of JFK with about 1100 foot-pounds of force transmitted to the head you have the head exploded with a head snap back and to the left with blood and brain sprayed to behind and left of JFK. The Zapruder film is consistent with the laws of physics and the autopsy photos and the blood splatter patterns and two bullets to the right temple area.
   Take a block of wood to simulate different values of JFK’s assumed head neck mass of 10, 15, 20, 25 or 34 lbs. Mounting the block on a skateboard reduces the energy lost to friction but the total weight of the block and the skateboard must equal the assumed head mass. Fire a bullet of known size, about 160 grains, and speed, at least 2000 ft/sec, into it. Measure the distance the block moves. In the example below the block of wood is fixed and does not move. Repeat the experiment with a bullet that delivers 1000 foot-pounds of total energy. This experiment proves the head snap to be the result of a frontal shot to the head if a bullet can move the assumed head neck mass block a distance of one foot without friction.

To simulate the JFK head snap, a block of wood equaling the weight of assumed head mass should be suspended on two long strong wire cables for stability to prevent spinning of the block and shot with a Carcano 160gr bullet at 2000 ft/sec or similar bullet and measure both the height of displacement and horizontal displacement. This experiment proves the head snap to be the result of a frontal shot to the head if a bullet can move the assumed head neck mass block a distance of one foot horizontally. The so-called, Luis Alvarez “jet effect” theory of a rear entry with ejected brain causing a reward head snap is fiction. Construct the block of wood so that the bullet penetrates 3 to 4 inches and exits instead of stopping the bullet then repeat the experiment. Or since the JFK bullets exited after delivering about a 1000 foot-pounds try the test with a pistol bullet delivering about 1000 foot-pounds of total energy without exiting. Does the block move one foot horizontally?

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