I have for years thought 9from time to time) about the implications of
Asimov's story "Billiard Ball". For those who do not know it (spoilers
follow) an "anti-gravity" field is developed, that is a field in which
the gravitational constant is zero. Particles of matter which enter
this field leave at c -- it is explained that within the field we are
no longer in the standard Einsteinian universe, and since the mass of
all objects within the field is zero, they must move at c as all
massless particles do. On leaving the field the velocity is retained.
Obviously this makes the field a source of endless free energy: simply
turn it on in an atmosphere and air molecules enter the field, come
out at c, are stopped by collisions, and give off energy in the form
of light and heat. But when a solid object (specifically a billiard
ball) enters the field, it leaves a c, with fatal results for the
person who is in the way. By the end of the story it appears (though
it is not established) that the direction of exit, relative to the
field and its generator, is the same as the direction of entry -- that
is the object continues in a straight line, merely at vastly increased
speed.
No I know perfectly well that this is not consistent with real
physics. But it got me thinking about what would happen with such very
high speed projectiles. Would a small solid object (such as a bullet
or a billiard ball) moving at 99.999% of c tend to simply punch
through other solid objects (such as a human or a brick wall) because
there is no time for chemical bonds to spread the impact energy? Or
would it liberate a significant amount of its KE on impact? Would
impact result in forcing some nuclei so close together that fission
and/or fusion reactions are likely? Would this be the ultimate needle
gun, or the ultimate "explodes on contact" effect? What if the object
struck is more sizable, such as an asteroid or planet.
-DES
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