# How these weapons do damage/transfer energy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-these-weapons-do-damage-transfer-energy/686416>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 18, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-these-weapons-do-damage-transfer-energy/686416 "2014-04-18T13:45:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![cable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@cable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cable)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-these-weapons-do-damage-transfer-energy/686416/21 "2014-04-19T14:01:11Z")

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awwww i so want plasma weapons to work irl

is there anything today or in the near future that’s even close to the effects of plasma weapons as depicted in sci fi without the need for solid projectiles? Glowy crazy fast(not those slow blobs)energy balls that explodes when hitting stuff dense enough

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-these-weapons-do-damage-transfer-energy/686416/22 "2014-04-21T12:03:25Z")

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> [@cable](#):
>
> I guess i got my answers.  
> one more thing. off topic.  
> are railguns able to achieve relativistic speeds?

No, at least not yet. The US Navy has developed [a prototype that can hit 5400 MPH,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun) which isn’t nearly relativistic (it’s only 0.000008C).

It’s still [pretty cool to watch though.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36jbiUmYJ8Y)

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**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-these-weapons-do-damage-transfer-energy/686416/23 "2014-04-21T17:08:57Z")

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> [@Machine\_Elf](#):
>
> I wouldn’t. It’s science _fiction._ You might as well try to explain Dark Helmet’s ability to remotely crush the balls of his senior officers.

That’s easy: Using the power of the Schwartz, control over his balls is activated by intense emotion at ludicrous speeds.

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