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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Electromagnetic guns
Message-ID: <6249@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Dec-85 00:46:34 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6249
Posted: Sun Dec 22 00:46:34 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Dec-85 00:46:34 EST
References: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].763041.851220.KFL>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 15

>   Note that not all electromagnetic guns are railguns.  One problem
> with railguns is they have to be in contact with the projectile at all
> times.  This is not practical at velocities of several miles per
> second.

As I recall, the problem is not that *physical* contac* is required, but
that *electrical* contact is required.  The two are not necessarily the same.
There have been serious studies of using electric arcs as conductive paths
for electrically-powered trains!  Not as silly as it sounds -- arc plasma
is a far better conductor than any metal.  Maintaining the arc does involve
losses, though.  And an arc might behave strangely in the intense magnetic
fields of a railgun.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry