dbsousa Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 In my Post Apocalyptic game, the "Chosen People" of Haven were spared by "God" and transported to a 50 mile by 50 mile patch of land, with an impassable waterfall to the South, impassable Mountains to the North, and a bottomless Void of blinding light during the day and impenetrable darkness at night to the East and West. In this land of Milk and Honey, the Chosen accept as a fact that There are two forces that act on a moving body in Haven. Gravity and Temptation. Gravity pulls a body to earth, Temptation pulls it East, toward "Hell". Before I ask the Science Questions, I must ask any players to stop reading. Seriously, stop... OK? The players' understanding of gravity comes from the fact they are in an O'Neill Cylinder of Epic proportions, and they are experiencing centripetal force from the spin. The Cylinder's diameter is wide enough that only the most sensitive people will be able to feel the Coriolis effect (Bump of Direction). The cloudy weather from the waterfall and the height of the mountains prevent them from seeing the whole cylinder (on a few clear days a year, they can see the other two land masses above them, which they interpret as bridges to Heaven and Hell). My questions are these: If you throw an object into the air in such a cylinder, does it indeed appear to be pulled anti spinward? How would a speeding projectile move in this framework? Would it depend on the direction they faced? Would a pendulum at rest point straight down, spinward, or anti spinward? I can't seem to find these answers on the internet. Maybe it's broke. Thanks, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Science Question for my Sci-Fi Game. (Haven Players, stay out!!!) If you throw an object into the air in such a cylinder, does it indeed appear to be pulled anti spinward? How would a speeding projectile move in this framework? Would it depend on the direction they faced? Would a pendulum at rest point straight down, spinward, or anti spinward? Yes. Would depend on direction. Distortion would be most apparent parallel to spin axis. Projectiles fired anti-spinward would seem to drop to the ground more quickly, fired spinward they would travel further, any other angle they would curve spinward. Straight down, directly away from spin axis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agemegos Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Science Question for my Sci-Fi Game. (Haven Players, stay out!!!) If you throw an object into the air in such a cylinder' date=' does it indeed appear to be pulled anti spinward?[/quote'] When it is moving towards the spin axis the Coriolis Effect seems to accelerate it spinwards. When it is moving away from the axis the Coriolis Effect seems to accelerate it antispinwards. So when you throw a stone into the air it will loop away to spinwards and then come back, as though there were a force to antispinwards and it had been thrown to spinwards. If you throw a stone spinwards its trajectory will be lowered (by increased centrifugal force), throw it antispinwards and it will be raised (by decreased centrifugal force). Throw a stone in a direction along the axis and its trajectory will loop to spinward and then come back. Would a pendulum at rest point straight down, spinward, or anti spinward? The Coriolis Effect only affects things that are moving in the rotating frame of reference: motion parallel to the axis is irrelevant, but motion perpendicular to the axis feels a 'force' that attempts to rotate its trajectory antispinwards. So the pendulum would point straight down while it was still, but if it were on a lift going up it would be deflected spinwards, on a lift going down it would be deflected antispinwards. On a train going spinwards it would oscillate faster than when at rest, and when on a train going antispinwards it would oscillate slower. This is going to be a bitch to describe to the players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsousa Posted June 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Science Question for my Sci-Fi Game. (Haven Players, stay out!!!) When it is moving towards the spin axis the Coriolis Effect seems to accelerate it spinwards. When it is moving away from the axis the Coriolis Effect seems to accelerate it antispinwards. So when you throw a stone into the air it will loop away to spinwards and then come back, as though there were a force to antispinwards and it had been thrown to spinwards. If you throw a stone spinwards its trajectory will be lowered (by increased centrifugal force), throw it antispinwards and it will be raised (by decreased centrifugal force). Throw a stone in a direction along the axis and its trajectory will loop to spinward and then come back. The Coriolis Effect only affects things that are moving in the rotating frame of reference: motion parallel to the axis is irrelevant, but motion perpendicular to the axis feels a 'force' that attempts to rotate its trajectory antispinwards. So the pendulum would point straight down while it was still, but if it were on a lift going up it would be deflected spinwards, on a lift going down it would be deflected antispinwards. On a train going spinwards it would oscillate faster than when at rest, and when on a train going antispinwards it would oscillate slower. This is going to be a bitch to describe to the players. I am only giving them a simplified explanation. The players do not have a scientific understanding of their world, and only the most experienced archers can compensate for the pull of Temptation on their arrows. I think The game effect is this. Range Modifiers are doubled for characters who do not know which way they are facing. Any character who has been keeping the Waterfall or the Mountains in their sight, can compensate with a simple INT Check, or take a half-phase to orient. A character who has neither in their sight must either spend a half action to find one, or fire a shot "Blind", at the double penalty above. A character who has made a Blind Shot may roll an INT check, at +1 for each -2 of Range Modifier to the blind shot, in order to re-orient himself. A character with Bump of Direction and Weapon Familiarity can ignore these penalties. One things for sure: Baseball is not a popular sport in Haven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agemegos Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Science Question for my Sci-Fi Game. (Haven Players, stay out!!!) Oops. I just figured out that I made a mistake in my explanation. It is the stone's velocity that returns to original value when it returns to ground level. Throw a stone 'north' and it will accelerate spinward while it is rising and then accelerate back to antispinward while it is falling, so that when it hits the ground it will be travelling north (and downwards) again. But all that time its velocity will be to spinward, so it will hit the ground to spinward. But if you throw it of a high tower then after it falls back to the level you threw it from it will start moving to anti-spinward, will cross the line due north of the tower well below the level of the top, and thenceforth will continue to move ever faster antispinwards until it hits the ground. Shoot an arrow on an upward trajectory and it will be deflected spinwards as it comes off the string. But shoot it on a downward trajectory and it will be deflected the other way. That isn't going to look like a 'temptation' to spinwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsousa Posted June 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Re: Science Question for my Sci-Fi Game. (Haven Players, stay out!!!) Shoot an arrow on an upward trajectory and it will be deflected spinwards as it comes off the string. But shoot it on a downward trajectory and it will be deflected the other way. That isn't going to look like a 'temptation' to spinwards. So you are saying that both Heaven and Hell pull on every moving object in Haven? Religious Scholars will be pleased to hear that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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