| MadSci Network: Physics |
why not? anything is possible if you think hard enough! on the more serious side, there are a number of issues that have to be considered before an off hand answer to your question can be given. what will be the range of the projectile? what is meant by handheld? like a pistol or like an ak 47 or like a bazooka? what do you mean by the term electromagnetic? do you mean an electromechanical contraption or do you mean something that uses electromagnetic phenomena to propel the projectile? secondly, are you asking the question at a conceptual level or at a functional level? i mean, are you asking whether the laws of physics will permit such a concept, or are you asking for an idea for a mechanism that'll do the job. conceptually, there is no difficulty. electromechanical propulsion systems do exist. as for a mechanism, one that comes to my mind immediately is a high torque stepper motor. the stepper motor rotation can be converted to a high mechanical impulse by a suitable mechanism. this impulse would propel the projectile. the size of the motor would depend on the required torque, which would depend on the desired range and the mass of the projectile. of course, that would leave us with the question of the power supply. this is the final decisive factor which would dictate the feasibility of any design.
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