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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!duke!unc!tim
From: tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: New kind of Gun - (nf)
Message-ID: <5996@unc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Oct-83 18:02:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.5996
Posted: Tue Oct 11 18:02:42 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Oct-83 02:10:21 EDT
References: fortune.1538
Lines: 23

These assertions are from a recent article from an anonymous contributor:

>>Well, if you are hit with a laser beam of sufficient power about an inch
>>wide, an cylinder of flesh that big and X deep will turn into steam.  The
>>resulting explosion will have the force of a small bullet, but will be more
>>evenly distributed in the surrounding connective tissue.

>>Of course, to power the laser you will need to either carry around an
>>extension cord, or wrap wires around yourself to pick up electical energy
>>from the central electromagnetic pulsing station that every good-sized
>>metropolis will have in the future.

The key phrase here is "of sufficient power".  You see, lasers are far
better at cutting things that don't contain a lot of water to help dissipate
the heat.  For instance, a plate of metal.  Cutting a human does NOT produce
a nice clean hole (although it might if you had an immensely powerful beam),
since water heats up past its boiling point in a messy way.

A laser capable of cutting holes in people would do awfully well on most
inorganic substances, such as cars, walls, etc.  The amount of power
consumed would be prohibitive.

Tim Maroney