We went to see Oxford United at Blackpool. The sprinklers that come up out of the pitch were amazing. If an object is fired at constant speed at an angle to the ground then it should go in a parabola. This isn't far off but look at the way it only goes a certain distance and then falls. The water droplets must be subject to air resistance hence the shape can't be parabolic. It reminds me of the track of an alpha particle in a cloud chamber. The particle loses energy by successive collisions and then the final collision makes it bend as it loses its final energy, gains electrons and becomes a helium atom.
