New ballistics calculators coming soon

[BenT]

This is pretty cool.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/27 ... ac-newton/

[Terry Murbach]

UNLESS I MISUNDERSTAND SOMETHING HERE THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR MANY DECADES. IT IS HOW THE IOWA CAN DROP A 2000lb SHELL ON A VW AT 25 MILES, AND ALL THE DATA IN IN THE IOWA's MECHANICAL COMPUTERS. THIS IS BUT ONE OBVIOUS EXAMPLE AMONG MANY. I MEAN REALLY....THIS IS OLD SCIENCE BY NOW, AND THE KRAUTS HAVE KNOWN IT FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS JUST LIKE ALL THE REST OF US.

[Griff]

Terry,

We are talking about the media here. Apparently, there description is deliberately vague... obviously the reporter didn't understand the nature of the question... so clearly couldn't describe the kid's solution!

[wecsoger]

A little bit of quick Googling provides no easy answers.

What I'm reading is this kid, er, young man is quite advanced and intelligent, so much more so than the newspaper reporter. Ahem.

What it seems is he has won an award and recognition in the field of particle dynamics but his work appears to not be submitted professionally in the field yet. Peer review is needed. But it appears that a scholastic organization is promoting him and it seems well deserved.

And, the headline and the news people are technological idiots, only slightly above marveling at fire coming out the end of a stick.

Just to speak to the Iowa example, there are numerous mathematical functions solved on a fire mission to include the altitude (the target, that is, the ship is at sea level) barometric pressure, humidity even the latitude and longitude and direction of fire to account for the earth's rotation.

Carrying that even further, the ability to launch a rocket with a payload, have it whip around the earth a couple times, then over to the moon a couple times, then back to earth, then have it kerplunk into the ocean within a convenient distance of an aircraft carrier for recovery shows that we have learned just a little bit from Sir Isaac.

[new pig hunter]

Relatively speaking, apples and oranges.

Providing an on-paper rigorously correct mathematical solution is the apple. Perfection matters.

Dropping a 1 megaton bomb, and hoping that you are on-target within 1,000 yards, is the orange. If you are not rigorously on target, does it really matter ??

As for what the Iowa-class BB's could do with a 2,700 lb projectile, quite impressive:
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_16-50_mk7.htm

Cheers,

Carl

[El Chivo]

well it's no good if it's not a smart phone app

[FWiedner]

well it's no good if it's not a smart phone app

Well said, Sir.

[Blaine]

While working on a county, GPS/GIS system, we had a small value that took into account the curve of the earth Thank Heavens for my HP, such math does not come naturally to me