Introduction Welcome to the newly redesigned haven for the rail gun enthusiast.
This page covers some of the latest techniques in electromagnetic propulsion, but the construction of a rail gun is a perilous undertaking so use the information contained herein at your own risk. In the interest of simplicity vector directions are ignored, it is assumed that the magnitude is as calculated and in the desired direction. A rail gun in it's simplest form is a pair of conducting rails separated by a distance L and with one rail connected to the positive and one the negative side of a power source supplying voltage V and current I. A conducting projectile bridges the gap L between the rails, completing the electrical circuit. As current I flows through the rails, a magnetic field B is generated with an orientation dictated by the right hand rule and with a magnitude governed by equation 1. When a current I moves through a conductor of length L in the presence of a magnetic field B, the conductor experiences a force F according to equation 2.