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kel · 08-02-2003, 12:59 PM

combustion and burning paper aren't exactly the same thing. Yes paper requires oxygen to burn properly because paper itself doesn't conatin any oxygen.

The fuel used in pistol rounds does contain all the chemicals necessary to burn without external oxygen. When the round actually goes off the pressure inside is greater then the air pressure on the outside. So even if there were oxygen on the outside of the casing it wouldn't be able to enter and assist the powder in burning. So the fuel itself has to be combustible sans the surrounding environments oxygen. If the catridge relied on outside oxygen it would never burn fast enough to properly expel the round.
Yes a pistol would fire on the moon.

Also chemical rockets that space shuttles use rely on the same thing in order to burn in space and in the upper atmosphere. You don't see air intakes on shuttle boosters because the chemical fuel used has the whole package.

[EDIT]
I don't know the chemical reasoning though. Programmer, not physicist...
[/EDIT]

08-02-2003, 12:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
kel WARNING: FLAMMABLE Location: Ask Acetylene	Well... combustion and burning paper aren't exactly the same thing. Yes paper requires oxygen to burn properly because paper itself doesn't conatin any oxygen. The fuel used in pistol rounds does contain all the chemicals necessary to burn without external oxygen. When the round actually goes off the pressure inside is greater then the air pressure on the outside. So even if there were oxygen on the outside of the casing it wouldn't be able to enter and assist the powder in burning. So the fuel itself has to be combustible sans the surrounding environments oxygen. If the catridge relied on outside oxygen it would never burn fast enough to properly expel the round. Yes a pistol would fire on the moon. Also chemical rockets that space shuttles use rely on the same thing in order to burn in space and in the upper atmosphere. You don't see air intakes on shuttle boosters because the chemical fuel used has the whole package. [EDIT] I don't know the chemical reasoning though. Programmer, not physicist... [/EDIT] __________________ "It better be funny" Last edited by kel; 08-02-2003 at 01:30 PM..