Slow moving projectiles from a hand-held weapon - how do they reach the target?
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Human Earth explorers land on planet X. They are there to survey it. They are unaware that there is life on X until ...
The locals are very aggressive and fire on them from a distance. The thing is that the projectiles (which could be bullets or arrows or whatever) travel very slowly. So slowly that the humans can see them coming and dodge provided they are looking in the right direction.
If the humans are hit by a projectile then it penetrates them and can be fatal.
Question
How can I scientifically (and not magically) reconcile the slow movement of the projectiles with the fact that they can reach a distant target and be fatal?
Assumptions
The action takes place away from civilisation. You can imagine scrub-land with low hills.
The weapons are hand-held by aliens that can be considered similar to humans.
Once a projectile leaves the weapon it is not powered (i.e. it's a bullet, an arrow, etc.).
Any reasonable science-based assumptions may be made about the atmosphere or other physical characteristics of planet X.
The range of the weapons is roughly 50 metres. They must be able to work anywhere on the planet.
Humans must be capable of seeing and dodging an incoming projectile from 20 or so metres away before it reaches them. The projectiles must therefore be slow-moving and big enough to be seen.
science-based weapons
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
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|
show 6 more comments
$begingroup$
Human Earth explorers land on planet X. They are there to survey it. They are unaware that there is life on X until ...
The locals are very aggressive and fire on them from a distance. The thing is that the projectiles (which could be bullets or arrows or whatever) travel very slowly. So slowly that the humans can see them coming and dodge provided they are looking in the right direction.
If the humans are hit by a projectile then it penetrates them and can be fatal.
Question
How can I scientifically (and not magically) reconcile the slow movement of the projectiles with the fact that they can reach a distant target and be fatal?
Assumptions
The action takes place away from civilisation. You can imagine scrub-land with low hills.
The weapons are hand-held by aliens that can be considered similar to humans.
Once a projectile leaves the weapon it is not powered (i.e. it's a bullet, an arrow, etc.).
Any reasonable science-based assumptions may be made about the atmosphere or other physical characteristics of planet X.
The range of the weapons is roughly 50 metres. They must be able to work anywhere on the planet.
Humans must be capable of seeing and dodging an incoming projectile from 20 or so metres away before it reaches them. The projectiles must therefore be slow-moving and big enough to be seen.
science-based weapons
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
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1
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does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
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– Kepotx
14 hours ago
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@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
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– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
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How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
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– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
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Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
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– user535733
13 hours ago
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"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago
|
show 6 more comments
$begingroup$
Human Earth explorers land on planet X. They are there to survey it. They are unaware that there is life on X until ...
The locals are very aggressive and fire on them from a distance. The thing is that the projectiles (which could be bullets or arrows or whatever) travel very slowly. So slowly that the humans can see them coming and dodge provided they are looking in the right direction.
If the humans are hit by a projectile then it penetrates them and can be fatal.
Question
How can I scientifically (and not magically) reconcile the slow movement of the projectiles with the fact that they can reach a distant target and be fatal?
Assumptions
The action takes place away from civilisation. You can imagine scrub-land with low hills.
The weapons are hand-held by aliens that can be considered similar to humans.
Once a projectile leaves the weapon it is not powered (i.e. it's a bullet, an arrow, etc.).
Any reasonable science-based assumptions may be made about the atmosphere or other physical characteristics of planet X.
The range of the weapons is roughly 50 metres. They must be able to work anywhere on the planet.
Humans must be capable of seeing and dodging an incoming projectile from 20 or so metres away before it reaches them. The projectiles must therefore be slow-moving and big enough to be seen.
science-based weapons
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
$endgroup$
Human Earth explorers land on planet X. They are there to survey it. They are unaware that there is life on X until ...
The locals are very aggressive and fire on them from a distance. The thing is that the projectiles (which could be bullets or arrows or whatever) travel very slowly. So slowly that the humans can see them coming and dodge provided they are looking in the right direction.
If the humans are hit by a projectile then it penetrates them and can be fatal.
Question
How can I scientifically (and not magically) reconcile the slow movement of the projectiles with the fact that they can reach a distant target and be fatal?
Assumptions
The action takes place away from civilisation. You can imagine scrub-land with low hills.
The weapons are hand-held by aliens that can be considered similar to humans.
Once a projectile leaves the weapon it is not powered (i.e. it's a bullet, an arrow, etc.).
Any reasonable science-based assumptions may be made about the atmosphere or other physical characteristics of planet X.
The range of the weapons is roughly 50 metres. They must be able to work anywhere on the planet.
Humans must be capable of seeing and dodging an incoming projectile from 20 or so metres away before it reaches them. The projectiles must therefore be slow-moving and big enough to be seen.
science-based weapons
science-based weapons
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
edited 14 hours ago
chasly from UK
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
asked 14 hours ago
chasly from UKchasly from UK
17.7k776156
17.7k776156
1
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does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
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– Kepotx
14 hours ago
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@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
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– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
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How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
$endgroup$
– user535733
13 hours ago
$begingroup$
"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago
|
show 6 more comments
1
$begingroup$
does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
$endgroup$
– Kepotx
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
$endgroup$
– user535733
13 hours ago
$begingroup$
"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
$endgroup$
– Kepotx
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
$endgroup$
– Kepotx
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
$endgroup$
– user535733
13 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
$endgroup$
– user535733
13 hours ago
$begingroup$
"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago
$begingroup$
"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago
|
show 6 more comments
11 Answers
11
active
oldest
votes
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Lower gravity on the planet
Projectiles start falling to the ground as soon as they are launched. On Earth this means if you want to lob a boulder onto your enemy, you need your catapault/trebuchet to get the boulder going fast so it can cover the distance between you and your opponent before it finishes falling to the ground. On an alien planet with lower gravity, the projectile will fall to the ground more slowly so it doesn't need to go as fast. If it's going slower it will still reach your opponent. So your aliens pick up big boulders and throw them, but they move slowly through the air like astronauts on the moon:
https://youtu.be/x2adl6LszcE?t=95
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
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Arrows on the moon!!
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– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
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Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
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– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
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@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
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– Tashus
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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Frisbees, with explosives. The thrower presses a switch, or pulls a tag, or does something else which does not affect the weight distribution of the disc before throwing in order to arm the device for real use. Practice can be done with unarmed discs, or more frequently, with imitations made to have the same weight and mass distribution.
A well-thrown frisbee can travel quite a distance. They are sufficiently slow moving and big enough to be seen that Ultimate Frisbee players can often effectively run to dodge (or more commonly, intercept) the flying object.
I have seen humans sent to the hospital with serious injuries from even non-exploding hard plastic frisbees they weren't paying sufficient attention to striking them the wrong way in the head.
A literal American football, rest-of-the-world football, baseball, etc. could also work, with launching mechanisms traditionally used in those sports. The arming device could be set so that it won't explode on the person launching it, and the exploding part only becomes active after the launching shock and a certain amount of flight.
While only the most skilled local warriors might have accuracy at that range with a football type weapon, unless they have some special biology, a moderately skilled trained humanoid could probably get a frisbee or baseball reasonably well targeted at that range.
You can even assume the locals have a sport in which they use something very much like the object which is used as a weapon when manufactured with explosives. Then, they have a well-trained military capable of defending the peaceful tribe without having to dedicate a lot of specific time/resources/etc. to defensive war preparations.
If you need to have a launcher, I'd go an exploding baseball type object (think about pop fly ball trajectories for ease of dodging if needed) combined with something like a water balloon launcher, or a traditional catapult/trebuchet with a blunt stone, burning ball of wood, etc. We humans had & used those centuries ago. Also consider Lacrosse-style basket-on-stick ball launchers and/or disc launchers like hand held traps, used to launch clay "pigeons" in shotgun shooting when non-handhelds aren't available.
Semi-related: A very fast baseball can also be very dangerous, but not as readily dodgeable and therefore not as good a fit to this question as a slower baseball that merely explodes at the end.
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
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I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
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– rtpax
10 hours ago
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@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
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– WBT
10 hours ago
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This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
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– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
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Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
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– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
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@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
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– WBT
9 hours ago
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show 1 more comment
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Your 'projectile' is a swarm of poisonous insects
Or, some sort of living creature. Or, like, nanobots. The aliens keep them in some sort of handheld storage device. When they want to fire, they release the swarm. Tiny, extremely poisonous insects/creatures/bots fly through the air, and, if they encounter humans, sting them to death.
The swarm isn't really 'guided' so if you get out of the way, they sort of buzz on to wherever they were going. Easily dodged, if you are paying attention, but quite fatal if you end up in the middle of them.
Like this, except with more bees and less Doberman.
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
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I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
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– Graham
5 hours ago
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Hive hand from Half-Life!
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– n0rd
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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The energy behind a projectile depends on mv^2. Bullets and similar projectiles maximize v because energy increases as the square.
Your aliens maximize m.
A very large mass projectile can be moving quite slowly and still do a lot of damage when it hits. The humans can see these things coming and dodge to some degree as long as there are not too may at once.
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
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A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
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– bta
7 hours ago
add a comment |
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We've had those for millenia im our own history. They are called spears. The launcher is your own arm.
Depending on the spear and who is throwing it, the range you ask for is more than feasible. And if you see a piece of wood with a very sharp point coming your way, thrown by someone sixty or more feet away, you have enough time to duck or cartwheel out of the way.
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
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The projectiles are white-hot (or caustic or very sharply pointed or covered in some kind of a contact poison/toxin). If you fail to dodge they can do some major damage even without the piercing force behind them that comes from velocity in the case of bullets on earth.
You would need either some form of levitation, or lower gravity, to get past the fact that a slow projectile would generally fall to the ground before hitting the target.
answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
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Well if the projectiles are fired upwards they would take a long time to fall on the target, making it easy to predict where it's going to land if you can see it being fired.
answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
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The locals perform some entomological warfare by lobbing nests of deadly alien bees at the explorers, just like some humans may have done in the past.
Using slings or other such tool the locals (presumably wearing some protective clothes) throw the nests in a high arc at groups of explorers. The explorers can see the nests coming and jog away from the landing site before the inevitable angry cloud of alien bees form.
However, if the explorers don't get out of the area quick enough then they face death by a swarm of projectiles who just had their home turned into a grenade.
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
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grenade launcher
we are thinking so hard about this answer. a grenade launcher. you said it needs to still be lethal and it seems everyone is trying to find a way to make an instakilling slow moving object. why not make the slow moving projectile explode when it reaches its target. It could even be rocket propelled and be slow enough for people to react. or we could go with plasma rounds. a chain reaction of creating plasma out of the very atmosphere focused in the direction of the intended target.
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
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Projectiles that are accelerated over the course of their flight
Such examples of this would be the real-world GyroJet ammo, in which each caseless projectile had a small "rocket motor" which accelerated the projectile over the course of its flight, as opposed to a traditional bullet where the acceleration occurs in one very short event. These rounds sped up over the course of their flight until their propellant ran out, so it could theoretically start slower yet reach lethal speeds easily after traveling a long distance.
EDIT: I reread the originally posted question after posting this answer. While GyroJet ammo does make the projectile powered after leaving the weapon, these were technically their own, self-contained bullet
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
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A few years ago my group and I experimented with staff slings, a sling attached to the end of a quarter staff which is used as a lever extension to increase the power input. A quarter staff is just a stick or pole that is your own height plus a quarter. Throwing stones out to sea (from mainland Britain to the Isle of Anglesay) we found we could get around half way to the opposite coast, 1600ft distant, with the the local glacial deposited pebbles. They traveled fairly slowly and could easily be tracked but the most interesting projectiles were the bar shaped slate stones we threw. These were about 1x1 inch and around 2 inches long and made a loud buzzing noise when thrown. We also found that if thrown at the cliff face behind (this was discovered by accidentally releasing the stone too early) it would shatter into razor sharp spinning shards). Throwing small grenadillos or even over short distances, grenades would be devastating for such a primitive weapon. Reactive metal projectiles like phosphor or perhaps a gas warhead like chlorine similar but reduced in size to those used against the city of Leicester in the 1400's
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
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11 Answers
11
active
oldest
votes
11 Answers
11
active
oldest
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active
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active
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$begingroup$
Lower gravity on the planet
Projectiles start falling to the ground as soon as they are launched. On Earth this means if you want to lob a boulder onto your enemy, you need your catapault/trebuchet to get the boulder going fast so it can cover the distance between you and your opponent before it finishes falling to the ground. On an alien planet with lower gravity, the projectile will fall to the ground more slowly so it doesn't need to go as fast. If it's going slower it will still reach your opponent. So your aliens pick up big boulders and throw them, but they move slowly through the air like astronauts on the moon:
https://youtu.be/x2adl6LszcE?t=95
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Lower gravity on the planet
Projectiles start falling to the ground as soon as they are launched. On Earth this means if you want to lob a boulder onto your enemy, you need your catapault/trebuchet to get the boulder going fast so it can cover the distance between you and your opponent before it finishes falling to the ground. On an alien planet with lower gravity, the projectile will fall to the ground more slowly so it doesn't need to go as fast. If it's going slower it will still reach your opponent. So your aliens pick up big boulders and throw them, but they move slowly through the air like astronauts on the moon:
https://youtu.be/x2adl6LszcE?t=95
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Lower gravity on the planet
Projectiles start falling to the ground as soon as they are launched. On Earth this means if you want to lob a boulder onto your enemy, you need your catapault/trebuchet to get the boulder going fast so it can cover the distance between you and your opponent before it finishes falling to the ground. On an alien planet with lower gravity, the projectile will fall to the ground more slowly so it doesn't need to go as fast. If it's going slower it will still reach your opponent. So your aliens pick up big boulders and throw them, but they move slowly through the air like astronauts on the moon:
https://youtu.be/x2adl6LszcE?t=95
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
$endgroup$
Lower gravity on the planet
Projectiles start falling to the ground as soon as they are launched. On Earth this means if you want to lob a boulder onto your enemy, you need your catapault/trebuchet to get the boulder going fast so it can cover the distance between you and your opponent before it finishes falling to the ground. On an alien planet with lower gravity, the projectile will fall to the ground more slowly so it doesn't need to go as fast. If it's going slower it will still reach your opponent. So your aliens pick up big boulders and throw them, but they move slowly through the air like astronauts on the moon:
https://youtu.be/x2adl6LszcE?t=95
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
answered 12 hours ago
Jared KJared K
3,6011524
3,6011524
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Arrows on the moon!!
$endgroup$
– Joe Bloggs
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Lower gravity would indicate thinner atmosphere so less air resistance on the projectile too.
$endgroup$
– Anketam
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Anketam Is that generally true? Titan has a thicker atmosphere than Earth but lower gravity.
$endgroup$
– Tashus
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Frisbees, with explosives. The thrower presses a switch, or pulls a tag, or does something else which does not affect the weight distribution of the disc before throwing in order to arm the device for real use. Practice can be done with unarmed discs, or more frequently, with imitations made to have the same weight and mass distribution.
A well-thrown frisbee can travel quite a distance. They are sufficiently slow moving and big enough to be seen that Ultimate Frisbee players can often effectively run to dodge (or more commonly, intercept) the flying object.
I have seen humans sent to the hospital with serious injuries from even non-exploding hard plastic frisbees they weren't paying sufficient attention to striking them the wrong way in the head.
A literal American football, rest-of-the-world football, baseball, etc. could also work, with launching mechanisms traditionally used in those sports. The arming device could be set so that it won't explode on the person launching it, and the exploding part only becomes active after the launching shock and a certain amount of flight.
While only the most skilled local warriors might have accuracy at that range with a football type weapon, unless they have some special biology, a moderately skilled trained humanoid could probably get a frisbee or baseball reasonably well targeted at that range.
You can even assume the locals have a sport in which they use something very much like the object which is used as a weapon when manufactured with explosives. Then, they have a well-trained military capable of defending the peaceful tribe without having to dedicate a lot of specific time/resources/etc. to defensive war preparations.
If you need to have a launcher, I'd go an exploding baseball type object (think about pop fly ball trajectories for ease of dodging if needed) combined with something like a water balloon launcher, or a traditional catapult/trebuchet with a blunt stone, burning ball of wood, etc. We humans had & used those centuries ago. Also consider Lacrosse-style basket-on-stick ball launchers and/or disc launchers like hand held traps, used to launch clay "pigeons" in shotgun shooting when non-handhelds aren't available.
Semi-related: A very fast baseball can also be very dangerous, but not as readily dodgeable and therefore not as good a fit to this question as a slower baseball that merely explodes at the end.
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
$endgroup$
2
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Frisbees, with explosives. The thrower presses a switch, or pulls a tag, or does something else which does not affect the weight distribution of the disc before throwing in order to arm the device for real use. Practice can be done with unarmed discs, or more frequently, with imitations made to have the same weight and mass distribution.
A well-thrown frisbee can travel quite a distance. They are sufficiently slow moving and big enough to be seen that Ultimate Frisbee players can often effectively run to dodge (or more commonly, intercept) the flying object.
I have seen humans sent to the hospital with serious injuries from even non-exploding hard plastic frisbees they weren't paying sufficient attention to striking them the wrong way in the head.
A literal American football, rest-of-the-world football, baseball, etc. could also work, with launching mechanisms traditionally used in those sports. The arming device could be set so that it won't explode on the person launching it, and the exploding part only becomes active after the launching shock and a certain amount of flight.
While only the most skilled local warriors might have accuracy at that range with a football type weapon, unless they have some special biology, a moderately skilled trained humanoid could probably get a frisbee or baseball reasonably well targeted at that range.
You can even assume the locals have a sport in which they use something very much like the object which is used as a weapon when manufactured with explosives. Then, they have a well-trained military capable of defending the peaceful tribe without having to dedicate a lot of specific time/resources/etc. to defensive war preparations.
If you need to have a launcher, I'd go an exploding baseball type object (think about pop fly ball trajectories for ease of dodging if needed) combined with something like a water balloon launcher, or a traditional catapult/trebuchet with a blunt stone, burning ball of wood, etc. We humans had & used those centuries ago. Also consider Lacrosse-style basket-on-stick ball launchers and/or disc launchers like hand held traps, used to launch clay "pigeons" in shotgun shooting when non-handhelds aren't available.
Semi-related: A very fast baseball can also be very dangerous, but not as readily dodgeable and therefore not as good a fit to this question as a slower baseball that merely explodes at the end.
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
$endgroup$
2
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Frisbees, with explosives. The thrower presses a switch, or pulls a tag, or does something else which does not affect the weight distribution of the disc before throwing in order to arm the device for real use. Practice can be done with unarmed discs, or more frequently, with imitations made to have the same weight and mass distribution.
A well-thrown frisbee can travel quite a distance. They are sufficiently slow moving and big enough to be seen that Ultimate Frisbee players can often effectively run to dodge (or more commonly, intercept) the flying object.
I have seen humans sent to the hospital with serious injuries from even non-exploding hard plastic frisbees they weren't paying sufficient attention to striking them the wrong way in the head.
A literal American football, rest-of-the-world football, baseball, etc. could also work, with launching mechanisms traditionally used in those sports. The arming device could be set so that it won't explode on the person launching it, and the exploding part only becomes active after the launching shock and a certain amount of flight.
While only the most skilled local warriors might have accuracy at that range with a football type weapon, unless they have some special biology, a moderately skilled trained humanoid could probably get a frisbee or baseball reasonably well targeted at that range.
You can even assume the locals have a sport in which they use something very much like the object which is used as a weapon when manufactured with explosives. Then, they have a well-trained military capable of defending the peaceful tribe without having to dedicate a lot of specific time/resources/etc. to defensive war preparations.
If you need to have a launcher, I'd go an exploding baseball type object (think about pop fly ball trajectories for ease of dodging if needed) combined with something like a water balloon launcher, or a traditional catapult/trebuchet with a blunt stone, burning ball of wood, etc. We humans had & used those centuries ago. Also consider Lacrosse-style basket-on-stick ball launchers and/or disc launchers like hand held traps, used to launch clay "pigeons" in shotgun shooting when non-handhelds aren't available.
Semi-related: A very fast baseball can also be very dangerous, but not as readily dodgeable and therefore not as good a fit to this question as a slower baseball that merely explodes at the end.
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
$endgroup$
Frisbees, with explosives. The thrower presses a switch, or pulls a tag, or does something else which does not affect the weight distribution of the disc before throwing in order to arm the device for real use. Practice can be done with unarmed discs, or more frequently, with imitations made to have the same weight and mass distribution.
A well-thrown frisbee can travel quite a distance. They are sufficiently slow moving and big enough to be seen that Ultimate Frisbee players can often effectively run to dodge (or more commonly, intercept) the flying object.
I have seen humans sent to the hospital with serious injuries from even non-exploding hard plastic frisbees they weren't paying sufficient attention to striking them the wrong way in the head.
A literal American football, rest-of-the-world football, baseball, etc. could also work, with launching mechanisms traditionally used in those sports. The arming device could be set so that it won't explode on the person launching it, and the exploding part only becomes active after the launching shock and a certain amount of flight.
While only the most skilled local warriors might have accuracy at that range with a football type weapon, unless they have some special biology, a moderately skilled trained humanoid could probably get a frisbee or baseball reasonably well targeted at that range.
You can even assume the locals have a sport in which they use something very much like the object which is used as a weapon when manufactured with explosives. Then, they have a well-trained military capable of defending the peaceful tribe without having to dedicate a lot of specific time/resources/etc. to defensive war preparations.
If you need to have a launcher, I'd go an exploding baseball type object (think about pop fly ball trajectories for ease of dodging if needed) combined with something like a water balloon launcher, or a traditional catapult/trebuchet with a blunt stone, burning ball of wood, etc. We humans had & used those centuries ago. Also consider Lacrosse-style basket-on-stick ball launchers and/or disc launchers like hand held traps, used to launch clay "pigeons" in shotgun shooting when non-handhelds aren't available.
Semi-related: A very fast baseball can also be very dangerous, but not as readily dodgeable and therefore not as good a fit to this question as a slower baseball that merely explodes at the end.
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
edited 9 hours ago
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
answered 10 hours ago
WBTWBT
1,0151715
1,0151715
2
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
2
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
2
2
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
I'm not sure if the explosives are necessary, blades around the perimeter could be fatal if they hit the right spot
$endgroup$
– rtpax
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
@rtpax I started out thinking about blades too, but they would probably make it harder to throw. If the blades came out mid-flight, they would likely affect the flight path and reduce accuracy. Playing catch or other sport to practice, with blades coming out mid-flight, would not be a lot of fun on the receiving end. So I think explosives would likely fit the criteria better.
$endgroup$
– WBT
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
This is looking good. You may not have noticed, "weapons are hand-held" and "Once a projectile leaves the weapon". This of course implies that the aliens don't throw the Frisbees by hand. Is it possible to fix this with a hand-held 'weapon' projecting the Frisbee? (preferably aimable)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
10 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
$begingroup$
Are there any hand-held 'traps' - I haven't heard of any :-)
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
9 hours ago
2
2
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
$begingroup$
@chaslyfromUK Sure there are, just less common.
$endgroup$
– WBT
9 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Your 'projectile' is a swarm of poisonous insects
Or, some sort of living creature. Or, like, nanobots. The aliens keep them in some sort of handheld storage device. When they want to fire, they release the swarm. Tiny, extremely poisonous insects/creatures/bots fly through the air, and, if they encounter humans, sting them to death.
The swarm isn't really 'guided' so if you get out of the way, they sort of buzz on to wherever they were going. Easily dodged, if you are paying attention, but quite fatal if you end up in the middle of them.
Like this, except with more bees and less Doberman.
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your 'projectile' is a swarm of poisonous insects
Or, some sort of living creature. Or, like, nanobots. The aliens keep them in some sort of handheld storage device. When they want to fire, they release the swarm. Tiny, extremely poisonous insects/creatures/bots fly through the air, and, if they encounter humans, sting them to death.
The swarm isn't really 'guided' so if you get out of the way, they sort of buzz on to wherever they were going. Easily dodged, if you are paying attention, but quite fatal if you end up in the middle of them.
Like this, except with more bees and less Doberman.
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your 'projectile' is a swarm of poisonous insects
Or, some sort of living creature. Or, like, nanobots. The aliens keep them in some sort of handheld storage device. When they want to fire, they release the swarm. Tiny, extremely poisonous insects/creatures/bots fly through the air, and, if they encounter humans, sting them to death.
The swarm isn't really 'guided' so if you get out of the way, they sort of buzz on to wherever they were going. Easily dodged, if you are paying attention, but quite fatal if you end up in the middle of them.
Like this, except with more bees and less Doberman.
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
$endgroup$
Your 'projectile' is a swarm of poisonous insects
Or, some sort of living creature. Or, like, nanobots. The aliens keep them in some sort of handheld storage device. When they want to fire, they release the swarm. Tiny, extremely poisonous insects/creatures/bots fly through the air, and, if they encounter humans, sting them to death.
The swarm isn't really 'guided' so if you get out of the way, they sort of buzz on to wherever they were going. Easily dodged, if you are paying attention, but quite fatal if you end up in the middle of them.
Like this, except with more bees and less Doberman.
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
answered 7 hours ago
kingledionkingledion
73.7k26246434
73.7k26246434
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
I initially misread that as "Doobie-o-matic", and wondered how spliff rolling fitted with burglars and a dog.
$endgroup$
– Graham
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hive hand from Half-Life!
$endgroup$
– n0rd
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The energy behind a projectile depends on mv^2. Bullets and similar projectiles maximize v because energy increases as the square.
Your aliens maximize m.
A very large mass projectile can be moving quite slowly and still do a lot of damage when it hits. The humans can see these things coming and dodge to some degree as long as there are not too may at once.
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The energy behind a projectile depends on mv^2. Bullets and similar projectiles maximize v because energy increases as the square.
Your aliens maximize m.
A very large mass projectile can be moving quite slowly and still do a lot of damage when it hits. The humans can see these things coming and dodge to some degree as long as there are not too may at once.
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The energy behind a projectile depends on mv^2. Bullets and similar projectiles maximize v because energy increases as the square.
Your aliens maximize m.
A very large mass projectile can be moving quite slowly and still do a lot of damage when it hits. The humans can see these things coming and dodge to some degree as long as there are not too may at once.
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
$endgroup$
The energy behind a projectile depends on mv^2. Bullets and similar projectiles maximize v because energy increases as the square.
Your aliens maximize m.
A very large mass projectile can be moving quite slowly and still do a lot of damage when it hits. The humans can see these things coming and dodge to some degree as long as there are not too may at once.
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
answered 13 hours ago
WillkWillk
110k26205458
110k26205458
1
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
A 9mm bullet with a muzzle velocity of ~1180 m/s has about the same amount of kinetic energy as a 1350 kg Volkswagen Beetle going ~39 km/hr. Different damage profile, sure, but I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by either.
$endgroup$
– bta
7 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We've had those for millenia im our own history. They are called spears. The launcher is your own arm.
Depending on the spear and who is throwing it, the range you ask for is more than feasible. And if you see a piece of wood with a very sharp point coming your way, thrown by someone sixty or more feet away, you have enough time to duck or cartwheel out of the way.
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We've had those for millenia im our own history. They are called spears. The launcher is your own arm.
Depending on the spear and who is throwing it, the range you ask for is more than feasible. And if you see a piece of wood with a very sharp point coming your way, thrown by someone sixty or more feet away, you have enough time to duck or cartwheel out of the way.
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We've had those for millenia im our own history. They are called spears. The launcher is your own arm.
Depending on the spear and who is throwing it, the range you ask for is more than feasible. And if you see a piece of wood with a very sharp point coming your way, thrown by someone sixty or more feet away, you have enough time to duck or cartwheel out of the way.
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
$endgroup$
We've had those for millenia im our own history. They are called spears. The launcher is your own arm.
Depending on the spear and who is throwing it, the range you ask for is more than feasible. And if you see a piece of wood with a very sharp point coming your way, thrown by someone sixty or more feet away, you have enough time to duck or cartwheel out of the way.
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
answered 12 hours ago
RenanRenan
49.5k13115248
49.5k13115248
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
The projectiles are white-hot (or caustic or very sharply pointed or covered in some kind of a contact poison/toxin). If you fail to dodge they can do some major damage even without the piercing force behind them that comes from velocity in the case of bullets on earth.
You would need either some form of levitation, or lower gravity, to get past the fact that a slow projectile would generally fall to the ground before hitting the target.
answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
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The projectiles are white-hot (or caustic or very sharply pointed or covered in some kind of a contact poison/toxin). If you fail to dodge they can do some major damage even without the piercing force behind them that comes from velocity in the case of bullets on earth.
You would need either some form of levitation, or lower gravity, to get past the fact that a slow projectile would generally fall to the ground before hitting the target.
answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
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The projectiles are white-hot (or caustic or very sharply pointed or covered in some kind of a contact poison/toxin). If you fail to dodge they can do some major damage even without the piercing force behind them that comes from velocity in the case of bullets on earth.
You would need either some form of levitation, or lower gravity, to get past the fact that a slow projectile would generally fall to the ground before hitting the target.
answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
1211
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The projectiles are white-hot (or caustic or very sharply pointed or covered in some kind of a contact poison/toxin). If you fail to dodge they can do some major damage even without the piercing force behind them that comes from velocity in the case of bullets on earth.
You would need either some form of levitation, or lower gravity, to get past the fact that a slow projectile would generally fall to the ground before hitting the target.
answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
1211
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answered 11 hours ago
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answered 11 hours ago
MegMeg
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answered 11 hours ago
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$begingroup$
Well if the projectiles are fired upwards they would take a long time to fall on the target, making it easy to predict where it's going to land if you can see it being fired.
answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
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Well if the projectiles are fired upwards they would take a long time to fall on the target, making it easy to predict where it's going to land if you can see it being fired.
answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
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Well if the projectiles are fired upwards they would take a long time to fall on the target, making it easy to predict where it's going to land if you can see it being fired.
answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
692
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Well if the projectiles are fired upwards they would take a long time to fall on the target, making it easy to predict where it's going to land if you can see it being fired.
answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
692
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answered 13 hours ago
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answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
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answered 13 hours ago
Mphiwe NtuliMphiwe Ntuli
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$begingroup$
The locals perform some entomological warfare by lobbing nests of deadly alien bees at the explorers, just like some humans may have done in the past.
Using slings or other such tool the locals (presumably wearing some protective clothes) throw the nests in a high arc at groups of explorers. The explorers can see the nests coming and jog away from the landing site before the inevitable angry cloud of alien bees form.
However, if the explorers don't get out of the area quick enough then they face death by a swarm of projectiles who just had their home turned into a grenade.
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The locals perform some entomological warfare by lobbing nests of deadly alien bees at the explorers, just like some humans may have done in the past.
Using slings or other such tool the locals (presumably wearing some protective clothes) throw the nests in a high arc at groups of explorers. The explorers can see the nests coming and jog away from the landing site before the inevitable angry cloud of alien bees form.
However, if the explorers don't get out of the area quick enough then they face death by a swarm of projectiles who just had their home turned into a grenade.
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The locals perform some entomological warfare by lobbing nests of deadly alien bees at the explorers, just like some humans may have done in the past.
Using slings or other such tool the locals (presumably wearing some protective clothes) throw the nests in a high arc at groups of explorers. The explorers can see the nests coming and jog away from the landing site before the inevitable angry cloud of alien bees form.
However, if the explorers don't get out of the area quick enough then they face death by a swarm of projectiles who just had their home turned into a grenade.
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
$endgroup$
The locals perform some entomological warfare by lobbing nests of deadly alien bees at the explorers, just like some humans may have done in the past.
Using slings or other such tool the locals (presumably wearing some protective clothes) throw the nests in a high arc at groups of explorers. The explorers can see the nests coming and jog away from the landing site before the inevitable angry cloud of alien bees form.
However, if the explorers don't get out of the area quick enough then they face death by a swarm of projectiles who just had their home turned into a grenade.
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
edited 13 hours ago
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
answered 13 hours ago
GiterGiter
14.5k53543
14.5k53543
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
grenade launcher
we are thinking so hard about this answer. a grenade launcher. you said it needs to still be lethal and it seems everyone is trying to find a way to make an instakilling slow moving object. why not make the slow moving projectile explode when it reaches its target. It could even be rocket propelled and be slow enough for people to react. or we could go with plasma rounds. a chain reaction of creating plasma out of the very atmosphere focused in the direction of the intended target.
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
grenade launcher
we are thinking so hard about this answer. a grenade launcher. you said it needs to still be lethal and it seems everyone is trying to find a way to make an instakilling slow moving object. why not make the slow moving projectile explode when it reaches its target. It could even be rocket propelled and be slow enough for people to react. or we could go with plasma rounds. a chain reaction of creating plasma out of the very atmosphere focused in the direction of the intended target.
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
grenade launcher
we are thinking so hard about this answer. a grenade launcher. you said it needs to still be lethal and it seems everyone is trying to find a way to make an instakilling slow moving object. why not make the slow moving projectile explode when it reaches its target. It could even be rocket propelled and be slow enough for people to react. or we could go with plasma rounds. a chain reaction of creating plasma out of the very atmosphere focused in the direction of the intended target.
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
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$endgroup$
grenade launcher
we are thinking so hard about this answer. a grenade launcher. you said it needs to still be lethal and it seems everyone is trying to find a way to make an instakilling slow moving object. why not make the slow moving projectile explode when it reaches its target. It could even be rocket propelled and be slow enough for people to react. or we could go with plasma rounds. a chain reaction of creating plasma out of the very atmosphere focused in the direction of the intended target.
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
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answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
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answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
answered 12 hours ago
Elias Rowan AlbatrossElias Rowan Albatross
30410
30410
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$begingroup$
Projectiles that are accelerated over the course of their flight
Such examples of this would be the real-world GyroJet ammo, in which each caseless projectile had a small "rocket motor" which accelerated the projectile over the course of its flight, as opposed to a traditional bullet where the acceleration occurs in one very short event. These rounds sped up over the course of their flight until their propellant ran out, so it could theoretically start slower yet reach lethal speeds easily after traveling a long distance.
EDIT: I reread the originally posted question after posting this answer. While GyroJet ammo does make the projectile powered after leaving the weapon, these were technically their own, self-contained bullet
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
Projectiles that are accelerated over the course of their flight
Such examples of this would be the real-world GyroJet ammo, in which each caseless projectile had a small "rocket motor" which accelerated the projectile over the course of its flight, as opposed to a traditional bullet where the acceleration occurs in one very short event. These rounds sped up over the course of their flight until their propellant ran out, so it could theoretically start slower yet reach lethal speeds easily after traveling a long distance.
EDIT: I reread the originally posted question after posting this answer. While GyroJet ammo does make the projectile powered after leaving the weapon, these were technically their own, self-contained bullet
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
Projectiles that are accelerated over the course of their flight
Such examples of this would be the real-world GyroJet ammo, in which each caseless projectile had a small "rocket motor" which accelerated the projectile over the course of its flight, as opposed to a traditional bullet where the acceleration occurs in one very short event. These rounds sped up over the course of their flight until their propellant ran out, so it could theoretically start slower yet reach lethal speeds easily after traveling a long distance.
EDIT: I reread the originally posted question after posting this answer. While GyroJet ammo does make the projectile powered after leaving the weapon, these were technically their own, self-contained bullet
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
New contributor
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$endgroup$
Projectiles that are accelerated over the course of their flight
Such examples of this would be the real-world GyroJet ammo, in which each caseless projectile had a small "rocket motor" which accelerated the projectile over the course of its flight, as opposed to a traditional bullet where the acceleration occurs in one very short event. These rounds sped up over the course of their flight until their propellant ran out, so it could theoretically start slower yet reach lethal speeds easily after traveling a long distance.
EDIT: I reread the originally posted question after posting this answer. While GyroJet ammo does make the projectile powered after leaving the weapon, these were technically their own, self-contained bullet
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
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answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
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answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
answered 10 hours ago
The TeeblesThe Teebles
12
12
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$begingroup$
A few years ago my group and I experimented with staff slings, a sling attached to the end of a quarter staff which is used as a lever extension to increase the power input. A quarter staff is just a stick or pole that is your own height plus a quarter. Throwing stones out to sea (from mainland Britain to the Isle of Anglesay) we found we could get around half way to the opposite coast, 1600ft distant, with the the local glacial deposited pebbles. They traveled fairly slowly and could easily be tracked but the most interesting projectiles were the bar shaped slate stones we threw. These were about 1x1 inch and around 2 inches long and made a loud buzzing noise when thrown. We also found that if thrown at the cliff face behind (this was discovered by accidentally releasing the stone too early) it would shatter into razor sharp spinning shards). Throwing small grenadillos or even over short distances, grenades would be devastating for such a primitive weapon. Reactive metal projectiles like phosphor or perhaps a gas warhead like chlorine similar but reduced in size to those used against the city of Leicester in the 1400's
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
A few years ago my group and I experimented with staff slings, a sling attached to the end of a quarter staff which is used as a lever extension to increase the power input. A quarter staff is just a stick or pole that is your own height plus a quarter. Throwing stones out to sea (from mainland Britain to the Isle of Anglesay) we found we could get around half way to the opposite coast, 1600ft distant, with the the local glacial deposited pebbles. They traveled fairly slowly and could easily be tracked but the most interesting projectiles were the bar shaped slate stones we threw. These were about 1x1 inch and around 2 inches long and made a loud buzzing noise when thrown. We also found that if thrown at the cliff face behind (this was discovered by accidentally releasing the stone too early) it would shatter into razor sharp spinning shards). Throwing small grenadillos or even over short distances, grenades would be devastating for such a primitive weapon. Reactive metal projectiles like phosphor or perhaps a gas warhead like chlorine similar but reduced in size to those used against the city of Leicester in the 1400's
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
A few years ago my group and I experimented with staff slings, a sling attached to the end of a quarter staff which is used as a lever extension to increase the power input. A quarter staff is just a stick or pole that is your own height plus a quarter. Throwing stones out to sea (from mainland Britain to the Isle of Anglesay) we found we could get around half way to the opposite coast, 1600ft distant, with the the local glacial deposited pebbles. They traveled fairly slowly and could easily be tracked but the most interesting projectiles were the bar shaped slate stones we threw. These were about 1x1 inch and around 2 inches long and made a loud buzzing noise when thrown. We also found that if thrown at the cliff face behind (this was discovered by accidentally releasing the stone too early) it would shatter into razor sharp spinning shards). Throwing small grenadillos or even over short distances, grenades would be devastating for such a primitive weapon. Reactive metal projectiles like phosphor or perhaps a gas warhead like chlorine similar but reduced in size to those used against the city of Leicester in the 1400's
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
$endgroup$
A few years ago my group and I experimented with staff slings, a sling attached to the end of a quarter staff which is used as a lever extension to increase the power input. A quarter staff is just a stick or pole that is your own height plus a quarter. Throwing stones out to sea (from mainland Britain to the Isle of Anglesay) we found we could get around half way to the opposite coast, 1600ft distant, with the the local glacial deposited pebbles. They traveled fairly slowly and could easily be tracked but the most interesting projectiles were the bar shaped slate stones we threw. These were about 1x1 inch and around 2 inches long and made a loud buzzing noise when thrown. We also found that if thrown at the cliff face behind (this was discovered by accidentally releasing the stone too early) it would shatter into razor sharp spinning shards). Throwing small grenadillos or even over short distances, grenades would be devastating for such a primitive weapon. Reactive metal projectiles like phosphor or perhaps a gas warhead like chlorine similar but reduced in size to those used against the city of Leicester in the 1400's
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
answered 5 hours ago
Evie TrivithicEvie Trivithic
511
511
add a comment |
add a comment |
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1
$begingroup$
does it have to travel by air? or ground projectiles are ok?
$endgroup$
– Kepotx
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Kepotx - Good point. I was thinking through the atmosphere. I was also assuming that the ground is kind of normal alien landscape. I'll clarify.
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
How easy does it need to be to dodge? Is this like stepping out of the way of a bubble floating past, or something that can be done if you're alert and nimble, but still poses a legitimate threat? I ask because you don't actually need to slow regular arrows down by very much to make it possible for them to be dodged, but that still doesn't make it easy.
$endgroup$
– Nuclear Wang
14 hours ago
$begingroup$
Hmmm. Projectiles are subject to gravity - fast or slow, any projectile fired level will reach the ground in a bit less than a second, still too rapid for dodging. A slow projectile could travel in a ballistic arc (instead of level) for those 50 meters...rather like a basketball thrown the length of the court, That could be dodged. This means, of course, that most alien hand-howitzer rounds will be very difficult to aim, and dodging may not be needed. Since the rounds are (per OP) relatively enormous, the aliens won't be able to mass fire effectively. Better to use arrows against humans,
$endgroup$
– user535733
13 hours ago
$begingroup$
"unaware that there is life" - the fact that a sterile Mars-like environment is a home to large humanoids is scientifically unlikely... but this is just a side point.
$endgroup$
– Alexander
12 hours ago