Bear with me

P

Poz

New member
Okay, this was debated during a wait for starwars, so know ahead of time it has a rather high geekiness quotient.

Disbarring any petty details like methodolgy, or recoil :) what would this do:
In some manner a personal weapons is able to fire an object identical to a sewing needle made out of DPU, at the speed of 0.8C (speed of light) accurately towards a target.

What would happen based on what we know now?
I couldn't get anybody to even listen to me when i told them that we don't have enough mass to have a good NRG dump. And would therefore just travel straight through.

So i give this query to you all..

-Poz
 
Ok, I'll bite. First of all it would take an enormous amount of energy to get a needle to that speed. Assuming a mass of 1 gram (a needle made of U probably weighs more) and applying the Lorentzian transform and the mass-energy relationship, I figure it would take roughly 82 X 10^10 ft-lbs. Requiring that much energy, this whole subject may never be tested. I am going to guess the needle will evaporate with practically no effect on the target, assuming a target of substance. During recent NASA experiments with extremely high velocity projectiles, they have found that the projectile disintegrates in a fairly short distance in some otherwise lightweight materials. They did these experiments to determine the effects of meteorites on space vehicles, space suits, etc. And meteorites travel at speeds no where near .8 C.
 
Poz, and Mal, you are both correct -
1. the needle would evaporate shortly after MACH speeds are hit.

2. but just for the sake of discussion... should the needle reach those speeds - based on theories from the brain-trust... and reviews of hits from micro meteorites on sats... There would be no energy transfer - the needle would pass through - you would have a tiny needle sized hole - and thats it.
this is of course barring the notion that for mass to reach that spped - it must become energy - to make a long post short - it would become a photon, and do as much damage a flashlight.

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
Urgghh, I hate needles !

Especially ones that would pass right through you ! ;)

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"The Gun from Down Under !"
 
Kodiac,
I don't believe the needle would necessarily become pure energy. That may occur at 1.0 C, but .8 C is a big, big difference. There is nothing we can relate to that weighs as much as a needle traveling that fast (149,000 miles/sec), including meteors. So the results will probably remain undetermined.


[This message has been edited by Mal H (edited May 22, 1999).]
 
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