I’m going to be gone on 9/18 and 9/20. Rather than cancel class or have a guest lecturer, I’m going to have you watch two YouTube videos on the topics I would have talked about if I were here.
The first is on the physics of a railgun. Remember, the weapon in the movie Eraser was supposed to be a handheld version of the railgun. While such a thing doesn’t yet exist, the movie was correct that the Navy has been working on developing a railgun for decades and has finally come up with a design that is being deployed on ships. This video explains the basic physics of such guns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HcqS508lIo
The second video is on the topic of conservation of energy. We’ll do more with this when I get back, but it will be helpful if you’ve covered the basics on your own.