Physics Behind the Paris Gun

The Paris gun is also known as the Pariskanone, and was first used on March 23, 1918. This new German attack gun was one of the most powerful weapon that was used in World War 1. It was surprising to many people that fought in World War 1 because of the physics behind the German weapon. The power of the shell and the tube together can be so powerful that when it fires it can damage lots of items. It was so powerful that it had enough power to kill 260 Parisians and many buildings in France. These casualties were not common in the 1918's and was a propaganda success for those in Germany. Many people also did not think that the Germans were able to pull this off.

The technology behind the weapon is very unique. The tube was about 380 mm and the barrel was about 34m. The firearm weighed 138 tons and can propel a shell with a velocity of 5,260 feet per second. This was a successful invention during World War 1 because no other weapon can shoot as far and be as precise. The physics behind the Paris gun is that it uses velocity, acceleration, and projectile motion. Velocity and acceleration are needed in physics because it shows the speed of an object and a moving object that has the capacity in gaining more speed.

The Paris gun is an example of projectile motion because the shell can be launch above the Earth's surface, called the stratosphere, and descend in a curved path because of the law of gravity. Inside the Paris gun the tube fires the shell up to 25 miles using projectile motion. Keep in mind that the tube of the Paris gun is about 380 mm long. The shell travels in the air in a U-shape then returns to the ground due to gravity. With this type of motion the shell is most likely to cause more destruction because of the gravity acting on the objects in the pass. Gravity plays a big role with the Paris gun because with a projectile like this there is one main force that acts upon gravity. The more force the shell has the farther it will travel with the help of velocity and acceleration. The Paris gun uses Newtons first law of motion which determines the direction the shell can go. France was not prepared to see what Germans can do.


 By Jasmin Quezada


Article Source: Physics Behind the Paris Gun