Electromagnetism to deviate the path of an incoming bullet

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the feasibility of using electromagnetism to deviate the path of an incoming bullet. Participants consider various theoretical approaches and implications, touching on concepts from physics and engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that electromagnetism could potentially be used to deflect a bullet, although the effectiveness may be limited due to the bullet's charge and material properties.
  • One participant suggests that a thick steel plate at an angle could interact with the bullet's electromagnetic fields, leading to deflection.
  • Another participant discusses various methods involving electromagnetic radiation, including using UV light for the photoelectric effect, IR radiation to melt the bullet, and visible light to create radiation pressure.
  • One participant mentions the Coulomb interaction between the bullet and the target, suggesting that this interaction causes the bullet to deviate upon impact.
  • A humorous comparison is made to the impracticality of using magnetic fields to deflect raindrops, questioning the overall feasibility of the original idea.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of ideas and approaches, with no clear consensus on the effectiveness or practicality of using electromagnetism to deviate a bullet's path. Multiple competing views and hypotheses remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on assumptions about the bullet's charge and material properties, and the discussion includes various speculative methods without detailed mathematical backing.

Qyamat
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Hello,everyone
I was thinking if electromagnetism could be used to deviate the path of an incoming bullet?
 
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U see,electromagnetism requires that bodies must have nonzero electrical charge.(in the first approximation).Now,the bullet may not be neutral.The friction with the pipe (?) in the pistol could deprive him of electrons,but i wouldn't count on a massive deviation by em.fields...

Daniel.
 
Qyamat said:
Hello,everyone
I was thinking if electromagnetism could be used to deviate the path of an incoming bullet?
Sure. Take a very thick plate of hard steel. Place it at a 45 degree angle to the bullet path. When the bullet gets close enough to the steel plate, the electomagnetic fields of the electrons and protons in the atoms in the bullet will interact with the electomagnetic fields of the electrons and protons in the atoms in the plate and the bullet (what is left of it) will deflect.

AM
 
Use a lot of UV-EM for a photoelectric effect that would eject electrons until it is sufficiently charged to be deflected by a DC field or magnetism (though ) ...

Or...

Radiate so much IR (absorbed by metals) that the bullet melts and scattered before it hits target...

Or...

Radiate with so much visible (reflected) that radiation pressure alone deviates it...

Or...

Radiate so much gamma and x-rays that... well, much of the above + nuclear reactions that might be preferentially oriented to add to radiation presure...
 
When a bullet hits it's target, the electrons in the bullet are repelled by the electrons in the target, via Coulomb interaction. The result being that the bullet bounces off, thereby being deviated from it's trajectory by Electromagnetism.

Although that's not the real answer you were looking for, right?
 
I was thinking if electromagnetism could be used to deviate the path of an incoming bullet?

This sounds like my brother's idea of deflecting raindrops from a windshield using magnetic fields. It's like using a supercomputer to calculate your gas bill.
 
SpaceTiger said:
It's like using a supercomputer to calculate your gas bill.

So it has already been done? Damn. *throws away prototype*
 

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