I am having some problems coming up with a hard mil sci-fi setting. Here are some topics for thought. Graphene tipped penetrators Graphene jacketed projectiles Graphene mesh armor Infantry whipple shields Graphene whipple shields Material or metamaterial which absorbs electromagnetic field Materials with high energy particle scattering properties Materials that absorb or block cosmic rays Feasibility of any kind of infantry energy weapon (weapon would need to be adjustable for environments with different atmospheres).
Essentially my problem is this: You have a sword so you make armor. You make a gun that defeats armor, armor is now useless so you wear clothes. Now you invent ballistic armor, so you need small caliber high velocity weapons. Now you have high velocity weapons, so once again armor is useless because even though your armor survives the hit the person dies from the shockwave. Now you have extreme performance shock absorbing material so armor is back in the game. Meanwhile energy sources become small, materials become lighter. Eventually you get to an interesting point. Small caliber hypervelocity rounds can be stopped with simple whipple shields, the whipple shields can be destroyed by lower velocity rounds but armor is good enough to stop those rounds and absorb the shock wave. Assume infantry and the human(biological/partial biological) element is always in use due to philosophical or religious reasons or because fighting occurs in environments like temples which no side is willing to damage. Weapons like radiation, poison gas, and energy weapons wouldn't be forbidden by law. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
/k/ is actually my main board. That being said, I'd never trust them for anything science related considering "deflagration" is only in the vocabulary of 1% of the posters.
Xavier Rodriguez
A lot of what you seem to be saying is independent from the science though. You laid out an arms race that would also have an impact on small scale tactics, equipment and other things that /k/ would very much have more insight on than anyone here.
Brandon Sullivan
I can't really tell what your question is.
Also, this may be Veeky Forums but if your question is beyond undergrad mathematics or mechanics questions (i.e. idealized, physically unrealizable and irrelevant systems) we won't be able to help you. It's not like you're going to run into some senior engineer at a defense firm. There are probably some materials engineering grads hanging around but the likelyhood of one seeing this who has also researched those specific topics seems like a serious long shot.
/k/ may be full of idiots but will probably be more helpful than Veeky Forums for what you're asking, IMO
Luis Allen
Alright, don't worry about my problem but lets focus on feasibility. Is it plausible that Graphene could be used for armor? I don't know how brittle it is but maybe it can be combined into a composite like boron nitride. Also, materials that absorb EMF?
I see why you came to Veeky Forums now, you want your homework done for you.
Oliver Wood
Here is a different idea then. I'm thinking of the "cheapest" way for an intergalactic trip. Cheap as in "with the least possible amount of technological advancement. The destination is 3 million light years away, but at relativistic speeds in won't take that long for the crew. However it will take a long time. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it'd be easier to keep a body or brain functioning over a computer? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading A computer that could satisfactorily contain a mind could be feasible in the year 2111. So is it better to upload your mind to the ship computer or to preserve a body? Whether or not any biological material is along for the ride, the mind could be operating inside a computer program which elapses the time of the journey even further. If the 2111 date is feasible for computers of this type, do you think there would be anything better than rockets/bussard ramjet for space travel? If fuel was needed than the ship would be huge and the payload kept small as possible, which is why I think the computer is better for bringing along "crew". Any thoughts on this concept?
Zachary Cook
As a follow up does anyone have any thoughts on the likeliness that the "trip will fail" due to being bombarded with cosmic rays and radiation for such a long time. Will particles that make up parts of the ship, computer, or fuel source, decay in that time?
Dylan Cook
What do you need help with in science? The setting is sci-fi so you can change the game of physics if you want. What is this even for?
