Bill Pragnell wrote:
> Darren New wrote:
>> (The railguns in the story actually had to fire for a few thousand
>> rounds to punch a hole in the atmosphere so the needles wouldn't just
>> vaporize.)
> 
> That's pretty cool. Relativistic weapons would only really be as useful
> as nukes - to cause almost-total destruction.
> 
>>> But anyway, even without relativity, the recoil would be absurd.
>> Yep. If it can go thru a concrete wall coming out the front, the stock
>> can certainly break your shoulder.
> 
> It would do more than that. I can't be bothered with the sums right now
> but I imagine the recoil from a relativistic projectile gun would smash
> you to bits. You'd have to design any such gun to be recoilless somehow.
> <insert inertia-absorbing machinery here>
> 
> :)

I think it would depend on the mass of the projectile, otherwise
headlights on cars would be pretty useless. Well, except maybe as
propulsion.

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