Re: [Phys-l] old stuff--battleship momentum conservation.

["Dr. Richard Tarara" <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "brian whatcott" <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>
To: "Forum for Physics Educators" <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 10:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] old stuff--battleship momentum conservation.


> Broadsides are fired under weigh for obvious reasons, and the big guns
> are not equally
> disposed about the center of percussion. Which leads to a small turning
> moment, leading
> to sensible track displacement after several seconds.


That is not the explanation given--and the picture I provided is clearly a 
second or less after the firing.  The idea that the water disturbance is due 
to the pressure wave that spreads outwards but also along that side of the 
hull makes sense to me.  After watching the Mythbuster blow up umpteen 
things with the explosions filmed in super slow-motion, the pressure waves 
are often very visible on the high-speed.

Rick