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 Space / 19704
19703  |  19705
Subject: 
Re: Displacement Tonnage for Spaceships?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.space
Date: 
Mon, 30 Dec 2002 13:35:05 GMT
Viewed: 
477 times
  
In lugnet.space, Jordan D. Greer writes:
Whomever created "Traveller" obviously didn't think things through. Nor did
(s)he know much about physics or space. Mass is a MUCH better way of
comparing the sizes of space vessels, since it needs to be known to engineer
many systems on a ship. "Hydrogen displacement" for a space vessel is an
utterly useless measurement.

I would agree that it is not based on any true science.  Rather, I suspect
hydrogen displacement was chosen because of the potential "sounds cool
factor", since it sounds like a nautical term.  Some sci-fi's (not all) like
to draw comparisons between seaships and spaceships.  But as I am among
them, I guess something that has the "sounds cool factor" was what I was
looking for.

For our purposes, a conversion based on the actual volume of a ship (which
should be measured in cubic centimeters or meters) would be best. If your
scale is 100:1, then simply multiply the ship's actual volume by 100^3 to
get the fictional volume.

True.  Although if we want to be really accurate, then technically 'volume'
and 'mass' are not the same thing.  I am no science expert, so I don't know
the specific jargon.  But I am pretty sure on this point.  ...Anyway, if
someone were to measure as ship by volume, then I assume the units of cubic
feet or cubic meters would be used.  But what is the unit of measurement for
mass?

-H.



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Displacement Tonnage for Spaceships?
 
(...) mass= gram or kilogram. (metric weight would be newtons, for standard it is pounds- both are used when describing force.. ie. 15 pounds of pressure, 20 newtons of pressure). In my own fake scifi world, I imagined that ships would be (...) (22 years ago, 30-Dec-02, to lugnet.space)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Displacement Tonnage for Spaceships?
 
In Traveller, spaceships use a convention of how much hydrogen might (...) Whomever created "Traveller" obviously didn't think things through. Nor did (s)he know much about physics or space. Mass is a MUCH better way of comparing the sizes of space (...) (22 years ago, 30-Dec-02, to lugnet.space)

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