Build Gauss Gun for Semester Experiment

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the construction of a coil (gauss) gun for a semester-long experiment, focusing on the relevant equations and theoretical background needed for the project. Participants explore the principles of electromagnetism, particularly Faraday's law of induction, and seek guidance on effective resources and equations applicable to their experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in finding equations that are applicable for their gauss gun project and requests assistance.
  • Another participant inquires about the original poster's educational level and familiarity with Maxwell's Equations, suggesting that this knowledge could be relevant.
  • A third participant recommends the Wikipedia page on coilguns as a useful starting point for gathering information and equations.
  • The original poster mentions their current educational status (CEGEP 2) and lists several sources they have consulted, including Wikipedia and Google Scholar, but reports limited success in finding useful equations.
  • The original poster attempts to apply Faraday's law of induction and the Lorentz force equation but notes that their calculations yield zero, indicating a potential misunderstanding or misapplication of these principles in the context of their cylindrical projectile.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific equations or theories applicable to the gauss gun project. There are multiple viewpoints regarding the resources and foundational knowledge necessary to proceed with the experiment.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reveals limitations in the original poster's understanding of electromagnetism, particularly regarding the application of Faraday's law and the Lorentz force equation. There is also an indication of unresolved mathematical steps related to the calculations performed by the original poster.

Sabo295
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For a semester long experiment, I am to build a coil (gauss) gun. I also need to hand in a paper including all equations and theory relevant to the experiment, but I have not been able to find any equations that actually work for the purposes I require. Any help to guide me in the right direction is much appreciated.
 
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Sabo295 said:
For a semester long experiment, I am to build a coil (gauss) gun. I also need to hand in a paper including all equations and theory relevant to the experiment, but I have not been able to find any equations that actually work for the purposes I require. Any help to guide me in the right direction is much appreciated.

What level are you in school now? Have you learned Maxwell's Equations yet? What web resources have you looked at so far? (wikipedia, hyperphysics, etc.)
 
That sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I was taking that class with you!

I suppose one place to start is the Wiki page for Coilguns:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coilgun

Seems like a great starting place. There's some great information there about various things to consider. Other than that, as berkeman said, we'd have to know a bit more about what you know about Electricity and Magnetism and such things to know where to start. Nor am I in any way an expert about those beyond a basic knowledge, so I'll leave that to others. But that page is a great way to start. Google also seems to return all sorts of potentially useful information.

Hope you have fun with it!
 
Well, I am doing CEGEP 2 (equivalent to 1st year university), and I have looked at Wikipedia, and many other sources such as numerous papers from Google scholar, but have had little success.

I have not, as of yet learned the Maxwell equations, and I am trying to use Faraday`s law of induction: [tex]\phi[/tex] = [tex]\int[/tex] BxdA

and F =qvBsin[tex]\Theta[/tex]

So far have gotten both equations to equal zero, as I am using a cylindrical projectile and the field is in the same direction as the acceleration and speed.
 

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