Re: short questions (long-winded answer)

I don't think the accelerators transform substances, but I think they
may vary the acceleration in order to achieve uniform damage. Obviously
we're talking about magic and anything's possible, but here is why I
think the accelerator varies projectile acceleration from a physics
point of view:

Kinetic Energy is the amount of energy that an object has when it is in
motion. Kinetic Energy is released during collisions, like when a car
smacks into a tree or a bullet hits a target. The equation for kinetic
energy is 0.5 * mass * (velocity * velocity), and in the metric system,
the output energy is in Joules (J). (I don't know what it is in Imperial
Standard. For reference, one meter is about 3 feet and 1 kilogram is
about 2 pounds.)

Ok so let's say we have a 10kg (about 20 pound) cannonball, and we
launch it to a speed of 340.29 meters per second (1,119.55 feet per
second, or 763.33 miles per hour... the speed of sound at sea level).
The kinetic energy that cannonball is packing equals 0.5 * 10 * (340.29
* 340.29) = 610,017.52 J.

So now we feed our green slime into the accelerator. Not necessarily all
at once since the breech is a cup that won't necessarily hold the
slime's volume. For the sake of argument, let's say the slime weighs
about 4kg (8 pounds). Since the damage of the accelerator is uniform,
the kinetic energy of its projectiles remains the same. So, since we
know the kinetic energy of our cannonball, and we know the mass of the
green slime, we can determine the slime's velocity as it shoots out the
accelerator:

610,017.52 = 0.5 * 4 * (v * v) = 552.28 meters per second (1,817 feet
per second, or 1,238.86 miles per hour (mach 1.6).

Clearly the muzzle velocity (speed at which the projectile leaves the
barrel) of the green slime is a lot higher than the cannonball. It makes
me wonder what the acceleration of the green slime and cannonball are.
Unfortunately, I have to speculate on a few things.

If I remember right, a spatial ton is a cube 14' on a side. The
accelerator takes up one spatial ton, so for the sake of argument we'll
fudge a bit and call its barrel length 12 feet long, or about 4 meters.
We know the muzzle velocity and the distance, so acceleration =
(velocity * velocity) / (2 * distance).

For the cannonball: acceleration = (340.29 * 340.29) / (2 * 4) =
14,474.6 meters per second per second.

For the green slime: acceleration = (552.28 * 552.28) / (2 * 4) =
38,126.65 meters per second per second.

Now for the kicker. The acceleration due to gravity is about 9.8 meters
per second per second. So, our cannonball pulls about 1,477 g as it
exits the accelerator, and the green slime pulls about 3,890 g as it
flies out. When that slime hits the mark, I'd say the force of impact is
enough to rupture any cells in the critter's gelatinous body, killing it
instantly.

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for the Spelljammer campaign setting
[mailto:SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com] On Behalf Of smu anonymous
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 3:00 AM
To: SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com
Subject: [SPELLJAMMER] short questions

1.  Does defiller magic kill infinity vine?  Infinity Vine is immune to
death affects so thats why I'm currious.

2.  Do accelerators (I don't think I spelled that right, but those are
the weapons that launch stuff really fast and look like a big sextant),
transform whatever is put into them into a uniform substance?  I ask
this because the damage is the same no matter what you put in, be it
snow or steel.  I can also see no reason why green slime or mold would
be killed simply by launching it, which it explicitly says it does.


Proverb:  Give a man a fire and he will be warm for a day.  Light a man
on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.



---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes

********************************************************************
The D&D; Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Welcome.asp
The Spelljammer Homepage: http://www.darkwoodforest.com/rpg/compendium/
To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@??????.???????.com
with UNSUB SPELLJAMMER-L in the body of the message.