# Vortex weapons

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vortex-weapons/178613>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 30, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vortex-weapons/178613 "2003-05-30T19:50:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Alex\_VA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f475e1/32.png) [@Alex\_VA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_VA)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vortex-weapons/178613/1 "2003-05-30T19:50:59Z")

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I have heard of Nazi produced Vortex Weapons, which are like cannons that sent out sonic-boom-like blasts. They can snap a board like a twig, but when fired at a human, felt like being hit by a mattress. How does this work? How can they create a sonic boom in a cannon barrel? And why does it blast you back?

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vortex-weapons/178613/2 "2003-05-30T20:37:56Z")

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    - There’s vortex pages all over the web, not so far I haven’t seen anything powerful enough to be considered a weapon against anything besides card houses. —One starting point: [http://www.amasci.com/amateur/vortgen.html](http://www.amasci.com/amateur/vortgen.html)  
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