How angled barriers divide a projectile's impact
Balls n, m and f striking barriers, and the splitting of their force.
Three diagrams compare how projectiles strike different barriers. Ball n, meeting a barrier faced with angular projections, has its force split in half between points a and b, while ball m strikes a plain rectangular barrier squarely at c and delivers all its force there, doing twice the damage. When ball f drives into the pyramidal void between projections, its line of force is bent transversely toward c and b, so that it cannot hold its straight course.
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Ball n: force halved between a and b
Ball n meets a barrier faced with angular projections. These split its power into two, so that one half is carried into a and the other into b rather than into a single point.
Ball m: whole force delivered at c
Ball m strikes a plain rectangular barrier head-on and concentrates all of its force at the single point c. For this reason it inflicts twice as much damage as the divided ball n.
Ball f: force deflected in the pyramidal space
When ball f enters the pyramidal V-shaped space left between the projections, the line of its power runs transversely toward c and b. Deflected sideways, it can no longer follow its straight course.