Recent content by d3mm

Answers allegations of being out of date by linking 30 year old document. ;-) Some of the principles are the same but the technology has so far advanced since those days. 30 year old computers? Yes, some of the same platforms are in service (F-18 jet) but they have been upgraded so many...

Since the mechanism of natural intelligence is not yet understood, I think this is an open question. No doubt we know all of the physical laws required to create a computerised "human brain" but we don't know how to fit the parts together.

Careful with crackpots, you could be murdered! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22171039 In 1952, Bayard Peakes submitted a 33-page manuscript to a publication of the American Physical Society (APS). Peakes had an unusual idea. He didn't believe electrons existed, and he had...

As a very rough approximate I have a semi-auto .177 CO2 rifle (Crossman brand, model name unknown) with 12 round speed-loaders. It gets 4 full speed load clips on each 12gm CO2 cartridge before I start to notice a degradation in trajectory. The muzzle energy is 8 ft/lb @ 1.36 joules per ft/lb...

Sophiecentaur's analysis seems correct. Elite (olympic etc) cyclists generate about 20W per kilogram of body mass when sprinting (several seconds only) and around 7W per kilogram for endurance events (1 hour or so). This isn't going to give you very much usable power.

No it isn't. Who told you this? Can you link what you read that implied it? We need to find out what was originally said that has come across wrong. While interesting, this is an unrelated question and should probably belong in BTSM.

I agree that today there probably isn't an ASM that will penetrate the belt or the deck. I think you don't realize how electronic a modern conflict is, that a missile may airburst over the top of the ship rather than strike the deck, and that without sensors you've essentially got an armored...

More than two. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis_Ballistic_Missile_Defense_System "Aegis BMD (also known as Sea-Based Midcourse) is designed to intercept ballistic missiles post-boost phase and prior to reentry." At least one of those ships is parked somewhere off the Korean peninsular...

So, railgun vs laser! :-) Why would a water balloon would stop a high power laser? What equations do we use to determine this? A laser can penetrate many meters into water. Just how big is this balloon? If you can deploy a balloon rapidly enough to intercept a laser (which means you pre-empted...

You're right - that part is called the penetrator or "long rod". However a US crew calls it "sabot" when loading as in "target (whatever) - load sabot - fire". Not being a tanker I don't know the exact commands but that word is used for sure. Counter-missiles often require two hits to...

When you hit a tank with a sabot (which is a solid, non-explosive round) the turret blows off because of the pressure inside the hull. It is not a bullet going through a truck and maybe hitting 1 thing. It is an explosion.

You refer to Phalanx CIWS. That's exactly the system I was thinking of when I said they were unable to counter large supersonic missiles. Klub is the reason why they had to develop RAM. re: Hitting ballistic missiles. They shoot it with counter-missiles. Against something like a scud you shoot...

Ballistic missiles can be hit, and they come in much faster. Mach 20? It's all about warning time, but electronic systems get better, and you can use a drone to get it out before they shoot.

I'd like to see how you stop a laser with equivalent energy. I like that post but I will just correct one thing: Change this to read : On a smaller scale, gun-based CIWS systems don't have the range to deal with a supersonic SSM. So RAM is good enough to bullseye a target without needing...

26.8% dark energy? Typo? 86.2 or 68.2?