/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10420675
>No amount of magic gel can change this.
Thermal energy is a form of kinetic energy. The 'scifi magic gel' would absorb the kinetic energy of the bullet by converting it from vectored kinetic energy to a macroscopically indiscriminate and chaotic heat form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uD5y3pQRZs

Gels are already in use with Kevlar, to help dissipate kinetic energy, as well as in cars/trucks. The byproduct is the redirection of energy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYIWfn2Jz2g

>>10420089
I don't know, maybe cover the armor in a layer of protective paint. The gel could exist right below the armor, preferably as close to the point of impact as possible, maybe in some kind of lattice structure.

>What about explosives?
Depends on how directed it is, and the magnitude of the overall energy. An explosive has much more energy than a bullet. A bullet carries energy that is roughly equivalent to lighting a handful of bulbs for a few seconds, and directs that energy to a sharp point.

I'm not trying to overthink it, because at some point you might as well invent the damn thing you're simply trying to use in scifi. I just don't see why a gel couldn't exist as a hyper-efficient inertia damper in scifi, when we techically already use the principle in heavy automotives and armor.