On the Mechanism of Railguns
Andre K. T. Assis
Keywords: railguns, Ampere's force, elecgromagnetic waves, quantitative figures, immobilized projectile
Two mechanisms utilized to explain the operation of railguns are explained: one based on Ampere's force and the other on the transfer of momentum through electromagnetic waves. It is shown how the former is compatible with the data while the latter has problems with the quantitative figures and the case of the immobilized projectile.
