Re: if I built a giant cannon


"Randy Poe" <poespam-trap@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:cdb61dfe-5948-4f64-b0e6-86e2ba2b32e3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| On Mar 25, 10:50 pm, "fruitbat" <a...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
| > (a) Assume a very big cannon could reliably fire a shot from New York to
San
| > Francisco.
|
| These cannon are called "missile silos". The shots are called
| "ballistic missiles".

Almost correct, but he means the propellant remains with the silo (or just
above it)
and the missile takes the propellant with it, only becoming ballistic after
reaching
a desired altitude. The desired altitude for the propellant shut off is
usually much
lower for the cannon case than the missile case.
|

| > The shots are accurate and easily reproduced.
| > Now we take the cannon to San Francisco and fire back at New York.
| > Would the shot end up as exactly in New York?
|
| No. The earth rotates.



Dear San Francisco:
We are sending you an ICBM by airmail. Enjoy.
Love, New York.


Dear New York:
We are returning your kind gift.
Love, San Francisco.

One would hope the SF cannon-silo engineers had allowed for that in the
NY->SF case and could reliably return fire. Certainly Muscovite engineers
could. Perhaps New York wannabe physicists have never heard of
Mssr. Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis.
Oh wait, NY is your area, Poe... do carry on relying on the Earth's rotation
to save your sorry arse.



|
| >
| > (b) Assume a very big cannon could fire a shot vertically upwards in New
| > York.
| > The shot is so strong that it takes 2 hours to land back to the ground.
| > Where will it land?
|
| Not a simple question.
|
| It's on an inclined, probably eccentric orbit with an inclination
| of about 41 degrees and an eastward component of velocity. The
| next point of intersection with earth might be at -41 degrees
| latitude.

You are frame hopping, Poe.
The shot does not have an eastward component of velocity relative
to New York, but it will fall further than it climbed. New York has a
vertical component of velocity and will not continue on inertially
as the shot will.
The correct answer is just east of New York, in the ocean.
It will not land back on the ground. An exact answer would entail
knowing where the Moon is.









.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: if I built a giant cannon
    ... | These cannon are called "missile silos". ... |> Now we take the cannon to San Francisco and fire back at New York. ... |> Would the shot end up as exactly in New York? ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: if I built a giant cannon (correction)
    ... | and the missile takes the propellant with it, ... | lower for the cannon case than the missile case. ... ||> Now we take the cannon to San Francisco and fire back at New York. ... ||> The shot is so strong that it takes 2 hours to land back to the ground. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: if I built a giant cannon
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  • Re: if I built a giant cannon
    ... Now we take the cannon to San Francisco and fire back at New York. ... Assume a very big cannon could fire a shot vertically upwards in New ...
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  • Re: Herbert Muschamp in NYT
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