How do Railguns work?

Question

Can someone explain the physics around railguns.
Do they use Electromagnetic waves for propulsion or?

In: 1

Answer 1

Correct. A rail gun uses two rails, one positively and one negatively charged, to guide and accelerate a projectile. The projectile contacts the rails and completes the circuit. This differs from a Gauss Cannon which uses a series of coils wrapped around a barrel which activate in series to accelerate the object.