• rtxn@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    The limiting factor is not force or velocity but energy. If the pellet retains its original mass, the kinetic energy imparted by the explosion won’t be enough to propel it to any kind of useful distance. If the pellet’s mass drops proportionally to its size, the explosion will accelerate it to a sufficient velocity, but upon exiting the barrel, the sudden increase in mass means it would have to shed a lot of its velocity to conserve its kinetic energy.

    Truly, the question is whether magic can violate the laws of thermodynamics, and how that would affect entropy.

    • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      the question is whether magic can violate the laws of thermodynamics

      Well obviously it can, it’s magic and can do all kinds of dumb things. Like, go through the Player’s Handbook and tell me which spells DO rigorously follow scientific principles. It’s a pretty short list.

    • threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
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      9 hours ago

      the sudden increase in mass means it would have to shed a lot of its velocity to conserve its kinetic energy

      Do we have a reason to believe that a magic ring would conserve kinetic energy, rather than momentum or velocity?

    • joel_feila@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Well either phyisic is getting bent over the tabel. If ke is mantianed as the mass return them it screw up momentum, which is also something that is conserved irl. If the momentum is conserved the keis violated