The statement is actually incorrect. If a bullet is fired from a high-powered rifle and a duplicate bullet is dropped straight down at the same moment, the bullet fired from the rifle will hit the ground after the one that was dropped.
Here’s why: Both bullets experience the same acceleration due to gravity once they are in free fall, which is approximately \(9.81 , \text{m/s}^2\) downward. However, the bullet fired from the rifle has an initial horizontal velocity (the velocity of the bullet as it exits the barrel) that enables it to travel forward while also falling due to gravity.
When the bullet is fired, it is not only subject to the force of gravity but is also traveling horizontally at a high speed. As a result, the fired bullet will take longer to reach the ground than the dropped bullet, which only falls vertically without any initial horizontal velocity.
In summary, because the horizontally fired bullet takes a more extended path before hitting the ground due to its forward motion, the dropped bullet will indeed reach the ground first.