Force Neutralization System

**Force Neutralisation System (FNS)** is a technology which utilises Zero-Mass blocks to eliminate inertia between two bodies.

## Background

Newton's second law of motion states

```
       **F** = *ma*

```

that is, the force an object exerts is equal to its mass times its acceleration. For example, an object weighing 1kg under the effect of gravity (9.81m/s²) will require a force of 9.81 newtons to stop it from falling.

Using NoBounds, it is possible to set the mass of a Ballast or Scaling Block to zero. As force is proportional to mass as described above, it follows that **any force exerted by the zero-mass block would also be equal to zero**.

Effectively, if one part of the machine moves, and another part of the machine is only connected through zero-mass blocks, **the other part will be moved as if it were weightless**.

## Applications

The most common application of FNS is as part of a high-power Recoil Suppression system; using it makes it practical to use ballast of (almost) **arbitrary mass** as part of the cannon assembly. This enables recoilless cannons of utterly absurd power, unmatched by any other method.

It is possible to use FNS for lifting disproportionately heavy payloads - in the gif above, a rotor powered only by a 2x power wheel is lifting a tank weighing 300 units.

In theory, it is possible to use FNS for armour; connecting extremely heavy ballast or scaling blocks onto a chassis as armour with FNS would no-sell cannons and other kinetic weaponry.

## Usage

Use of FNS is not straightforward, as it exploits a quirk of the physics system:

* As the rigidity of a connection is proportional to the block's mass, a zero-mass block cannot connect to anything itself (in practical terms).
* The same applies for all blocks connecting to the zero-mass block, except for the first placed block and non-rigid dragged blocks (Contractible Springs and Winches). Other connected blocks will act as if not connected (but have some effect on rotation).
* If the zero-mass block sustains any serious impact, physics glitches will destroy the rest of the machine.

To assemble an FNS connector, first place the block which will hold the zero-mass block, and then place the zero-mass block so that the first block connects to its center. Then, use springs to connect to the separated mass; it is necessary to set the strength to very high values in order to hold the separated mass in place, but not so high that the machine blows apart.

## Advantages and Disadvantages

The main advantage FNS has over Overflow for recoil suppression and armour is that **it does not limit the speed of the machine**. This means that a 'siege mode' is unnecessary for firing high-power weaponry and activating high-power armour.

The main disadvantage of FNS is that it is finicky and annoying to get working properly, especially compared to Overflow. Holding zero-mass blocks in place is difficult, holding the separated mass in place is difficult, and holding heavy objects in place with springs is also difficult. It also destroys the machine if any zero-mass block is hit.

## Notes

1. ↑ Force Neutralisation System is actually a backronym; FNS is actually an abbreviation of a Chinese phrase translating to 'anti-Newton's third law'.
2. ↑ There is some sort of limiting factor to this, but it can supposedly be overcome with technology which isn't publicly available.