Re: Gauss Weapon Recoil

>  Just a quick question that someone better versed in physics than I can
> answer.  Why do guass rifles/pistols have a recoil value at all?
> As I understand it, a rifle that uses gunpowder has recoil because of the
> expanding gasses pushing back against the breach of the weapon (with the
> equal but opposite force shoving the bullet down the barrel).
>
>   A guass rifle works by pulling the bullet down the barrel with an
> electromagnetic field.  Thus, no pressure agains the breech.  I'm I missing
> something really basic here?
>

What you are missing is Newton's third law. "To every force there is and equal
and opposite reaction." To accelerate a bullet you require a force and so there
will be an equal and opposite force on the gun. The fact the these forces
come from magnetism instead of expanding gas is irrelevant. In effect, as well
as the gun pushing out the bullet, the gun pushes itself away from the
bullet - causing a recoil.

Roger