Railgun again

[Alboroto]

Imagine one of those Maglev trains, works by repulsive magnetic forces. Same thing here, you´ll have a uranium slug (because of it´s molecular weight) somehow with an electrical charge (let´s say positive) and a barrel with a negative charge, now, due to the repulsive forces the uranium slug will levitate inside the barrel and move freely without friction against the metal.
Now, the polarity of the barrel is changed in a way that the slug is pushed forward. The slug starts to gain speed and it leaves the barrel. Now, because of its weight it has more kinetic energy, which means harder impact.
Sounds interesting but to me, there are some little details to take care of:

1.-As I said, the slug moves freely, because you need the barrel to be a clean pipe, without moving parts that could screw the magnetic repulsion forces. If it moves freely, you won´t be able to move while firing, bucause the slug could move forward, loosing speed when you fire, also you won´t be able to fire to a lower groud.

2.- Also, you´ll need an electrical charge strong enough to send the slug at the desired speed, remember, the slug is heavy. So discard the use of a nine volt battery. You´ll have to have a bigger energy supply.

3.- Now, to gain the desired speed you will need a really long barrel, so I don´t think the railgun coul be portable.

Now, if you saw Flathead's link to the gauss rifle, using a ruler and tape, you´ll see what I mean...

[dsm]

Now, because of its weight it has more kinetic energy, which means harder impact.

Hmm, I was taught that weight and size doesn't always matter. If an item is heavy, it's harder to accelerate which means that it won't be so fast - light items, however, are easierly accelerated thus travelling a lot faster, providing a more significant impact.

I was taught that beta radiation was more dangerous than alfa radiation. Beta radiation propels a single electron at a very high speed which makes a considerable impact on cells causing lots of damage, whereas alfa radiation propels a nucleus consisting of two positrons and two neutrons (I don't remember what material it is. Helium perhaps?) at a much slower speed which causes less damage to the cell(s) despite its weight.

Conclusion: Speed matters just as much (if not more than) as weight when it comes to kinetic energy.

I might be wrong as I haven't dealt with physics for several years (but nuclear physics was my main interest within physics, so it's not a coincidence that I remember this).

[Wobbo]

..but dsm doesnt complain in this post go figure...

Radiation shoudlnt be a part of any videogame, it takes too long to have any effect on the body. the way half-life handled it was laughable

as for the physics, the weight of the slug has a huge impact (pun intended) on the target because a heavy slug would throw teh target back, and possibly create a biggewr hole

[dsm]

the way half-life handled it was laughable

Um, didn't HL handle radiation just like every other FPS out there - you take damage the instant you touch something radioactive?

Or are you talking about some places where you would die the very instant you touched the radioactive waste?

[Alboroto]

Well, looks like we need some basic physics around here...

More weight means mare kinetic energy, which is translated as more energy liberated at the moment of the impact.

That's why the new tank shells used by the Army have a thick uranium coating.

[dsm]

Well, it doesn't work very well if the forces accelerating the object isn't powerful enough to propel it at high speeds - basic physics. The shell works because it's possible to propel at a relatively high speed though, so there's no problem with that.

A lighter shell propelled at a much faster speed would generate a similar high kinetic energy release to that generated whith the uranium coated shell - problem is that we still haven't found means for propelling light objects at such an enormously high speed that its kinetic energy would match the combined weight and speed of the uranium coated shell.

I don't disagree with your points - just pointing out that according to my sources, a light object can actually generate as much kinetic energy as a heavy object, but so far, humans have only been able to generate the most kinetic energies with heavy objects, when it comes to objects which the naked eye can see.

Did I get my point across clearly enough?

[bofniyy]

Hey, I've been watching these forums since that glorious day when John Carmack proclaimed doom would be their next project.

Anyway dsm your right it's harder to make something heavier go at a faster speed. But since in a railgun the slug would be floating, so therefore no friction , it could be accelerated to extreamly high speeds fairly easily.

Oh and just in case anyone is confused if a heavy uranium slug and a ball of tinfoil are moving through the air at the same speed, when they at a object, such as a person the slug will cause much more damage than the foil, because it has more kinetic energy. The amount of kinetic energy in an object depends on mass and velocity. So yeah anyway if I'm wrong please feel free to point it out because I'm not really a physics master or anything.

[dsm]

[...]because I'm not really a physics master or anything.

Neither am I so I might very well be wrong, but not until someone manages to prove me wrong with me unable to defend my views :-)

[mmnpsrsoskl]

an electrical charge (let´s say positive) and a barrel with a negative charge, now, due to the repulsive forces the uranium slug will levitate inside the barrel and move freely without friction against the metal.

There would be no replusive forces (likes repel, opposites attract). The positively charged particle would be attracted by the barrel and eventually contact leaving no charge in the particle.

I still see what you mean. A negatively charged particle and a negatively charged barrel.

By the by, the rule for Kinetic Energy is :

KE = A half times the mass of the object times it's velocity squared.

And the slug inside the railgun wouldn't be totally frictionless, because it would still be affected by air. As well as gravity so the electrical fields produced would have to be balanced just right.

Why the hell I bothered to write all of this, I don't know. Probably because most of this stuff is still fresh on my mind from finishing high school last year...

[Alboroto]

Well, I'm not into math or anything, actually I'm studying clinical psycology.

What i meant with "no friction" has to do with the barrel, NOT with the air. Also, I suppose that a railgun would make a greate "space gun" then.

[Alboroto]

Imagine one of those Maglev trains, works by repulsive magnetic forces. Same thing here, you´ll have a uranium slug (because of it´s molecular weight) somehow with an electrical charge (let´s say positive) and a barrel with a negative charge, now, due to the repulsive forces the uranium slug will levitate inside the barrel and move freely without friction against the metal.

SORRY!!!

My error, I meat to have the slug AND the barrel with the same electrical charge.

It's hard to write while feeding a baby...

[dsm]

It's hard to write while feeding a baby...

Heh, I can imagine :-)

[Wobbo]

the way half-life handled it was laughable

Um, didn't HL handle radiation just like every other FPS out there - you take damage the instant you touch something radioactive?

Or are you talking about some places where you would die the very instant you touched the radioactive waste?

Yeah, except halflife had a little "radiation signal" and it was supremeley unrealistic, whereas in other games there are other reasons why the object might harm you (like heat).

[kain]

i was watching this one show on tlc, and they had a rail gun. it had to generate like a trillion watts just to make it shoot a projectile out at mach 6.

[IMJack]

Yeah, except halflife had a little "radiation signal" and it was supremeley unrealistic, whereas in other games there are other reasons why the object might harm you (like heat).

HL had a bunch of different "damage zone" effects, although the effects were essentialy identical. Radiation, head, cold (the freezer stage, brrr...), eletricity, acid... And the "unrealistic" effects might be due to the fact that the character is wearing the hazard suit. Something to do with its slowly failing capability to protect you. Without that suit, ol' Gordie would have been lunchmeat before the accident had run its course.

[mmnpsrsoskl]

What i meant with "no friction" has to do with the barrel, NOT with the air.

Oh. OK then. My bad.