Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: MLFISHER@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Particle Beam Gun
Message-ID: <10329@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 18 Oct 89 02:49:54 GMT
References: <10149@cbnews.ATT.COM> <10233@cbnews.ATT.COM> <10271@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: MLFISHER@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu
 
:>	I rather like the idea brought up by some military s-f writers:
:>rather than a laser or other beam weapons, what about a small pellet moving
:>at .7c or some such insane velocity.  They call this type of weapon a
:>'relativistic BB-gun.'  
:>
: No chance - not in atmosphere. Maybe the Pentagon are wanting to go
: huntin' and shootin' bug eyed monsters now that the SU are supposed to be
: nice guys, but again there is the problem of firing in air. The pellet would
: have to be really small to be launched at such a speed from a weapon
: of usable size. Trouble is, air resistance goes up with velocity, so the
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Actually the viscous force (e.g. air resistance on a projectile) is
proportional to the velocity squared.  Even more of a problem.