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Rail Guns Closer to Reality

Posted by samzenpus on from the fastest-gun-in-the-west dept.

emtboy9 writes "Yahoo News is reporting that scientists at Sandia National Labs have created a magnetic pulse gun (rail gun) that can accelerate small aluminum plates at 34 kilometers per second, faster than the Earth travels through space. The accelerated plates strike a target after traveling only five millimeters, or less than a quarter-inch. The impact generates a shock wave -- in some cases, reaching 15 million times atmospheric pressure -- that passes through the target material turning matter into various states almost instantly (solids into liquids, liquids into gas, and even gas into plasma)."

4 of 475 comments (clear)

  1. Plates don't liquify people by cheesebikini · · Score: 5, Funny

    Plates don't liquify people. People liquify people.

  2. Futurama, of course by Olaserov · · Score: 5, Funny

    Try the new Soylent Green Energy Drink!

    "How is it?"
    "Well, it varies from person to person."

    --
    * Olaserov is in the process of thinking up a signature.
  3. Re:Shitty weapon in Counterstrike by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Point them at a country and demand their oil for power generation? :o

  4. Re:Did you not do basic physics at school? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is /. were pedantic nerds with nothing better to do hang out, not CNN.

    And as one such, I can't help pointing out that "were" should be "where".