Strategy guide?

Alpha Kodiak · #1 February 27th, 2001, 11:42 PM

If you could use a linear accelerator to fire a normal matter squirrel into an anti-matter squirrel at .99C, would you get an additional kinetic energy component to the explosion? What are the relativistic effects of a near-light-speed squirrel, anyway?

Suicide Junkie · #2 February 27th, 2001, 11:59 PM

All you'd get is the Energy from their mass (1.9x 10^17 J) plus their kinetic energy (quite a bit in this case).

a philistine · #3 February 28th, 2001, 12:51 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Alpha Kodiak:
If you could use a linear accelerator to fire a normal matter squirrel into an anti-matter squirrel at .99C, would you get an additional kinetic energy component to the explosion? What are the relativistic effects of a near-light-speed squirrel, anyway?

Well, (from the reference frame of the shooter) he'd be about 7 times as heavy, about 7 times shorter (in the axis of his travel) and he'd impact a stationary object with a kinetic energy equal to 130 megatons (assuming the rather well-fed, 1 KG squirrel)--about six times the energy that would be gained by converting the squirrel's mass to energy.

Just as an aside, the kinetic energy of an object is equal to the "conVersion" energy of the mass of an object at about .87c.

Load up your squirrels...

--A Philistine

(EDIT--fixed a math error in the KE=ConVersion calc.

)

[This message has been edited by a philistine (edited 01 March 2001).]

dmm · #4 February 28th, 2001, 01:23 AM

So, you DON'T need an antimatter squirrel to get a huge bLast. Just get it going at a good fraction of the speed of light. Try 0.999c for starters. (Kids, don't try this at home. You might blow up the Earth.)

Also, I am shocked, SHOCKED, that no one has pointed out the inhumane nature of these experiments in regard to the effects on the squirrel.

dmm · #5 February 28th, 2001, 01:26 AM

On topic:
Use overwhelming force. Concentrate your fire.

David Robinson · #6 February 28th, 2001, 03:08 AM

I always thought that Mr. E was stating that to get energy(ie: the mushroom cloud) out of any mass you would have to accelerate it to the speed of light squared. How would you get a squirrl to move that fast? A REALLY big nut? (Hey... What are all those squirrels
doing at my window?)

Kadste · #7 February 28th, 2001, 03:13 AM

"Use overwhelming force. Concentrate your fire."

Does this mean a large number of small squirrels, or a small number of large squirrels.

What would be the preferred launching platform? A Duc or APB or?