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story identification - Intergalactic war Weapons designs Flaws



Very short story about engineering problems with weapons development in an intergalactic space war. Force field, matter shrinking technology. Taught in engineering design programs.



Answer



This is Arthur Clarke's Superiority.


From Wikipedia




"Superiority" is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1951. It depicts an arms race, and shows how the side which is more technologically advanced can be defeated, despite its apparent superiority, because of its own organizational flaws and its willingness to discard old technology without having fully perfected the new. Meanwhile, the enemy steadily built up a far larger arsenal of weapons that while more primitive were also more reliable. The story was at one point required reading for an industrial design course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



(highlights mine, since you mentioned the classroom aspect)


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