A coilgun (also known as Gauss gun, Gauss cannon or Gauss rifle) is a type of cannon that uses a series of electromagnets to accelerate a magnetic shell to very high velocities. The name "Gauss gun" comes from Carl Friedrich Gauss, who formulated mathematical descriptions of the electromagnetic effect used by coilguns.

Overview

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Coilguns are often mistakenly called railguns, and while they are similar in general concept (that is, a magnetic gun), they differ in operation, as a railgun accelerates projectiles down two parallel conducting rails. Coilguns are essentially identical to mass drivers, though on a smaller scale. Kristian Birkeland is commonly considered the inventor of the electromagnetic coilgun, for which he obtained a patent in 1900. The attempts to turn his invention into a usable weapon failed, and the idea was more or less forgotten for many years.

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