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Old January 31st, 2001, 09:21 PM

jimbob55 jimbob55 is offline
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Default Re: Ship size vs. weapons

quote:
Now, as for Einstein's relativity, well, the fact is that this is all theoretical, not a proven fact.

snip etc.
Um... Drag increasing to infinity is slightly different to mass increasing to infinity. I believe that the increased mass effect has been shown through experimentation. Even if your spaceship managed to hit 99% light speed without hitting anything nasty (like a hydrogen atom) you will need an almost infinite force to accelerate that extra few metres per second. The answer to drag was to create very pointy things which brush aside the medium (air). The only way round lightspeed barrier is either a shortcut (wormhole or suchlike) or hyperdrive (something that pushes space out of the way, positive gravitational curvature generator or suchlike) Neither of these devices has been widely used in the real world.

quote:
Laser light is super focussed

Incorrect. Laser light is very high number of photons / cubic area with waveform 'in phase'. There is beam attenuation over distance because even the longest lasing chamber will not produce a completely cylindrical beam. Even a few moments of a degree of diVersion at the emitting end of your 3 mile long lasing chamber will produce a bit of attenuation. With a Terrawatt laser, it doesn't matter too much if you're shooting at something within say one Astronomical unit. Anything outside that distance and you end up with beam attenuation because of the sheer volume of emptiness you're shooting through. (1 particle per cubic km isn't much when you need to breathe, but it adds up to a lot over 4.2 light years)

It's just a game...it's just a game...Oh damnit, which part is just a game and which is reality....MEDIC!!
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