The Naked Scientists
Toggle navigation
Login
Register
Podcasts
The Naked Scientists
eLife
Naked Genetics
Naked Astronomy
In short
Naked Neuroscience
Ask! The Naked Scientists
Question of the Week
Archive
Video
SUBSCRIBE to our Podcasts
Articles
Science News
Features
Interviews
Answers to Science Questions
Get Naked
Donate
Do an Experiment
Science Forum
Ask a Question
About
Meet the team
Our Sponsors
Site Map
Contact us
User menu
Login
Register
Search
Home
Help
Search
Tags
Member Map
Recent Topics
Login
Register
Naked Science Forum
General Discussion & Feedback
Just Chat!
Does a gunfight in deep space work?
« previous
next »
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Down
Does a gunfight in deep space work?
3 Replies
1935 Views
0 Tags
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
jimbobghost
(OP)
Sr. Member
320
Activity:
0%
Thanked: 20 times
Naked Science Forum Newbie
Does a gunfight in deep space work?
«
on:
29/10/2018 16:30:12 »
suppose two astronauts get in a gunfight in deep space; and face off at a distance of six paces (or 50 ft or so).
question 1: will the guns fire with the same power as on earth without oxygen to assist the explosiveness of the gunpowder?
question 2: without the foundation of gravity to hold them in place, would the recoil of the guns push them away from each other so that neither projectile reaches their adversary?
Logged
Kryptid
Global Moderator
Naked Science Forum King!
8045
Activity:
4%
Thanked: 510 times
Re: Does a gunfight in deep space work?
«
Reply #1 on:
29/10/2018 19:34:40 »
(1) Gunpowder contains its own oxidizing agent (potassium nitrate), so the lack of oxygen shouldn't be a problem.
(2) The recoil from the guns certainly would push each astronaut backwards, but whether or not this causes the bullets to miss will likely depend on where they were aiming. If you were holding your arm out straight, then the recoil would act above your center of mass and cause you to spin. If the other person was aiming at your head, this spin
might
be sufficient to push your head out of the way before the bullet reaches you. The bullet would be much more likely to hit if the target was your center of mass.
Logged
evan_au
Global Moderator
Naked Science Forum GOD!
10910
Activity:
4%
Thanked: 1461 times
Re: Does a gunfight in deep space work?
«
Reply #2 on:
29/10/2018 21:00:58 »
An astronaut has more mass (mass M) than a bullet (mass m).
- The bullet travels faster (velocity V) than the astronaut (velocity v).
- By conservation of momentum, Mv = mV.
I haven't weighed any bullets recently, but I understand that 20 grams might be possible (I'm not sure if this includes the casing).
A astronaut with mass 100kg (in his spacesuit) has 5,000 times the mass of the bullet.
So the bullet will travel 5,000 times faster than the astronaut.
The recoil will
not
push the astronaut away so fast that the bullet never hits the target.
Logged
jimbobghost
(OP)
Sr. Member
320
Activity:
0%
Thanked: 20 times
Naked Science Forum Newbie
Re: Does a gunfight in deep space work?
«
Reply #3 on:
01/11/2018 16:39:24 »
thanks for the clear explanation.
I was thinking that for every action is an equal and opposite reaction. I also misunderstood that even in deep space, mass counts; even without gravity holding it in place.
Logged
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Up
« previous
next »
Tags:
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...