Jump to content

michaelkennedy

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    49

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by michaelkennedy

  1. michaelkennedy
    The Nuclear bomb is believe it or not one of the main weapons in Fallout 4, but ironically is also the cause of the game. The Physics behind Nuclear bombs is extremely complicated, but in this blog I will try to explain it as best as I can. The immense energy behind a nuclear explosion can be attributed to nuclear fission, which is the splitting of atoms. In a nukes case, it is most likely Uranium - 235. Two masses of highly pure Uranium 235 are positioned perfectly so that when they collide they start a chain reaction unleashing massive amount of energy in the form of an explosion. The masses collide extremely fast in order to keep the time of fission short, so that the explosion is as powerful as possible. This was the type of nuke dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 which killed so many people and caused destruction never before seen by man. The initial explosion wasn't the only terrible thing to happen however, because after the explosion massive amounts of radiation remained which made the area and its surroundings uninhabitable. Fallout 4 does a great job of recreating a barren wasteland which the player can easily tell has been ravaged by a nuclear bomb.
     <--------- Nuclear Fission of Uranium-235
  2. michaelkennedy
    In Nightfire there is a rocket launcher that fires homing missiles. These missiles follow their target until they hit a surface and explode. How they do this is based off the principle that warm bodies emit infrared light, therefore if a rocket were to follow infrared emissions it would most likely be following a body. Homing missiles are so effective that 90% of all US air force losses can be attributed to them. In order to change directions mid flight, it adjusts the direction of its rear thruster according to the direction the infrared light was received. This is done so quickly that the missile has smooth turns and adjusts its flight path at almost the same time its target does. In Nightfire, this creates a weapon that is pretty much unavoidable unless you disappear into a building or behind a safe wall.
  3. michaelkennedy
    In World of Tanks, you are the driver of a tank on a large battlefield. Your main weapon is your cannon, which fire shells. The games internal physics engine makes the shells obey the laws of projectile motion, giving them a parabolic flight path. Gravity pulls them down, and air resists their forward motion which is similar to my blog on the physics of sniping in Battlefield. Another aspect of physics in battlefield is the suspension the tank tracks have to prevent damage from falls. The longer a collision takes, the more spread out the force will be so that it is not all at once. Therefore, the suspension allows the tank to remain intact after a high impact collision with the ground. 

     

  4. michaelkennedy
    In Battlefront, the main infantry weapon is a gun that fires lasers. Though it would be amazing, this will most likely never be a reality because of a few properties of light: refraction and scattering. Light can bend, and will in foggy or rainy conditions. Also, it will disperse as it travels, reducing the intensity. Another reason why it is impractical is the energy requirements for a laser beam that can kill. To create a laser beam that is strong enough to kill, 24 Kg of batteries must be used. This is extremely impractical compared to lighter magazines which can hold a large amount of bullets.  Light also has a velocity that is larger than escape velocity, meaning that it will not drop and will just shoot off into space for all eternity. Until light can be harnessed more efficiently or a more compact source of energy can be found, i do not believe that we will be seeing laser rifles anytime in the near future.

  5. michaelkennedy
    In arguably the greatest gaming series of all time, The Legend of Zelda, one of the core weapons is based solely off of physics: The boomerang. The boomerang is used to kill enemies, retrieve items and rupees, and best of all can be used infinitely due to the fact that it always comes back to you. The key to a boomerang returning to the thrower is a phenomenon known as gyroscopic procession. This is where one wing is moving through the air slightly faster than the other, creating unbalanced forces.  As the top wing is spinning forward, the lift force on that wing is greater and resulting in differing forces that gradually turn the boomerang. This causes it to loop around in a circle, and return to the thrower.  
     

Terms of Use

The pages of APlusPhysics.com, Physics in Action podcasts, and other online media at this site are made available as a service to physics students, instructors, and others. Their use is encouraged and is free of charge. Teachers who wish to use materials either in a classroom demonstration format or as part of an interactive activity/lesson are granted permission (and encouraged) to do so. Linking to information on this site is allowed and encouraged, but content from APlusPhysics may not be made available elsewhere on the Internet without the author's written permission.

Copyright Notice

APlusPhysics.com, Silly Beagle Productions and Physics In Action materials are copyright protected and the author restricts their use to online usage through a live internet connection. Any downloading of files to other storage devices (hard drives, web servers, school servers, CDs, etc.) with the exception of Physics In Action podcast episodes is prohibited. The use of images, text and animations in other projects (including non-profit endeavors) is also prohibited. Requests for permission to use such material on other projects may be submitted in writing to info@aplusphysics.com. Licensing of the content of APlusPhysics.com for other uses may be considered in the future.

APlusPhysics Books

APlusPhysics Books

×
×
  • Create New...