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SgtLongcoat

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Everything posted by SgtLongcoat

  1. Duna or Bust Pre-Flight Available Funds: $376,539 Parts List: Mk16 Parachute ($422) Mk1 Command Pod ($600) 2 Kelus-LV Bay Mobility Enhancer ($440) 2 Mk-2R Radial-Mount Parachute ($400) 8 Sepratron 1 ($75) Advanced Inline Stabilizer ($1200) FL-T400 Fuel Tank ($500) 3 LT-05 Micro Landing Strut ($200) LV-909 "Terrier" Liquid Fuel Engine ($390) 2 TR-18A Stack Decoupler ($400) 3 Mk1 Liquid Fuel Fuselage ($550) LV-N "Nerv" Atomic Rocket Motor ($10000) 3 Aerodynamic Nose Cone ($240) 3 FL-T800 Fuel Tank ($800) 3 LV-T30 "Reliant" Liquid Fuel Engine ($1100) 3 TT-38K Radial Decoupler ($600) 7 EAS-4 Strut Connector ($42) Rockomax Brand Adapter ($500) 2 Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank ($5750) RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine ($13000) Design Goals: The Duna or Bust Interplanetary Travel Rocket Is perfectly designed for a single Kerbal manned flight to the red planet, Duna. With it's high efficiency atomic "Nerv" engine, the DBITR is able to easily and safely encounter and enter circular orbit of not only Duna, but most planets relatively close to Kerbin. With safety in mind, we've added multiple emergency thrusters and parachutes in order to counteract any high velocity landing path. Launch Goals: Our major goal for this final launch is to get our pilot, one Bill Kerman, to Duna in order to plant flag eulogizing the Kerbonaut lost by a rival space flight company. Pilot Plan: We'll first exit Kerbin's atmosphere using the Rockomax tanks and "Mainsail" engine with a west to east cicular orbit. Once out of the atmosphere, we'll circularize the orbit at a low altitude, and begin plotting a maneuver for a Duna encounter. We'll then use our remaining fuel in the Rockomax tanks to escape Kerbin's gravity, and At about this time, we'll likely have to switch from our "Mainsail" to the atomic thruster, which we'll use to fine tune the encounter with Duna and match the inclination. Once on course for a Duna encounter, we'll use the atomic thruster to perform a retrograde capture burn, and perform several Hohmann Transfers in order to enter an orbit in high Duna atmosphere in order to aerobrake. About here, we'll use the remainder of our atomic fuel in order to cut as much of our velocity as possible, and enter the final stage. We'll activate our chutes at around 15,000 m, and use our seperatrons in a latch ditch effort to cut any remaining velocity.
  2. Charon Refueler Pre-Flight Available Funds: $376,539 Vehicle Parts List: 1 Clamp-O-Tron Shielded Docking Port ($400) 1 FL-T200 Fuel Tank ($275) 1 FL-T400 Fuel Tank ($500) 1 FL-T800 Fuel Tank ($800) 1 Z-1k Rechargeable Battery Bank ($880) 1 RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit ($2250) 1 Advanced Inline Stabilizer ($1200) 1 TR-18A Stack Decoupler ($400) 1 C7 Brand Adapter - 2.5 m to 1.25 m ($800) 1 Rockomax Jumbo 64 Fuel Tank ($5750) 1 RE-15 "Skipper" Liquid Fuel Engine ($5300) 4 TT-38K Radial Decoupler ($600) 4 BACC "Thumper" Solid Fuel Booster ($850) 4 Aerodynamic Nose Cone ($240) 4 Standard Canard ($720) 4 EAS-4 Strut Connector ($42) 4 RV-105 RCS Thruster Block ($620) 2 Stratus-V Roundified Monopropellant Tank ($200) 2 OX-4W 3x2 Photovoltaic Panels ($380) Design Goals: The Charon Refueler Rocket is designed with the sole purpose of providing the precise amount fuel needed to refuel the Kerbinational Space Station. With four solid fuel booster meant for exiting the atmosphere, and one orange liquid fuel tank, our hope is that this will allow the Charon to dock with and refuel the KSS. Launch Goals: Our goal is for the Charon Refueler will be able to both dock with and fully refuel the Kerbinational Space Station, providing approximately $1,000,000 in funds. With these funds, we aim to design a rocket that can land on either the mun or minmus and safely return. Pilot Plan: Use the solid rocket boosters to gain altitude, and then jettison them once empty. Stage 2 will be used for circularization as well as the rendezvous with the KSS. Once it's out of fuel, it will be jettisoned and the RCS will be used to maneuver for docking.
  3. Kerbinational Space Station Post-Flight Launch Time: 10:37 AM, May 31, 2017 Team Present: Kenny Sorlie, Sam Papaleo, Jon Mura Flight Log: t+ 0 launch at half throtle t+ 50 Begun to rotate east to 80o t+ 2:05 Jettisoned 3 outer liquid rockets, cut throttle t+ 3:53 Begun burning prograde near apoapsis until in orbit t+ 4:38 Cut thrust, now in orbit t+ 5:31 Opened Solar Panels and Communatron t+ 13:30 Burned Pro-grade at the apoapsis until the periapsis reached ~137 km. Apoapsis is at ~139 t+ 14:20 Transferred liquid fuel and oxidizer into the storage tank. Unfortunately not enough to fill it up. t+ 14:40 Jettisoned rocket t+ 1:13:05 Maneuvered space station for easy docking Summary: For getting our manned space station into orbit, our plan was an overall success. There were no major problems during this launch (surprisingly), and we expect the space station to remain stable permanently. Our only regret is that there wasn't enough fuel leftover in the rocket to fully fuel our refueling station half of the station. Project Timeline: Our next flight remains as an attempted docking with our space station, with the notable exception that, instead of already being fueled, we will be attempting to refuel our space station during the launch. Milestones Presented: First manned space station in orbit - $130,000 Available Funds: $366,244 - $108,823 - $10,882 (tax) + $130,000 (Space Station) = $376,539
  4. Kerbinational Space Station Pre-Flight: Available Funds: $366,244 Vehicle Parts List: 4 Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank ($5750) 1 Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank minus fuel ($1531) 3 Nose Cone Mk7 ($450) 2 PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container ($4000) 1 PPD-12 Cupola Module ($3200) 4 RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Rockets ($13000) 3 AV-R8 Winglet ($640) 3 AV-T1 Winglet ($500) 3 TT-38K Radial Decoupler ($600) 6 EAS-4 Strut Connectors ($42) 1 Clamp-O-Tron docking Port Sr. ($980) 1 Clamp-O-Tron Shielded Docking Port ($400) 1 Advanced Reaction Wheel Module, Large ($2100) 4 RV-105 RCS ($620) 2 Illuminator Mk2 ($100) 2 Stratus-V Roundified Monoprop Tank ($200) 2 Gigantor XL Solar Array ($3000) 1 Communotron 88-88 ($1100) 2 Z-100 Rechargeable Battery Pack ($80) 3 FTX-2 External Fuel Duct ($150) Design Goals: The KSS is designed to be a combination manned space station and small scale refueling station, with the capacity to be extended with additional parts. With the KSS, kerbal-kind will finally be able to live in space for an indefinite amount of time. (Note: Remind our engineers that food is still required in space, especially if our astronauts are meant to stay up there) Launch Goals: For this launch, we are planning to get a manned space station/refueling station into low kerbin orbit, and have the ability to dock with it at a later time. Our next flight will consist of us sending up a second fuel tank to dock with our space station and expand our refueling capacity. Milestone Goals: First manned space station in orbit - $130,000 First fully-fueled orbital refueling station around Kerbin - $500,000 Pilot Plan: Use stage 1 until radial tanks are empty, then use stage 2 for high altitude maneuvers and finalizing the orbit placing the space station in a equatorial orbit of around 120km. Once the station is in the desired orbit, jettison stage 2 along with the engine after transferring any remaining fuel to the onboard tank.
  5. "Hyperion" Satellite Post-Flight Launch Time: 11:11 AM, 5/18/17 Team Present: Jonathan Mura, Kenny Sorlie (Sam Papaleo present for start of launch) Flight Log: t=4 - First stage thrusters at max t=21 - Turned off liquid thruster t=1:07 - Ejected solid boosters and aimed towards the east t=1:20 - Full liquid thrusters t=1:51 - Turned off liquid thrusters t=2:45 - Full thrusters at 15o above the horizontal t=3:10 - Levelled to 0o prograde t=3:41 - Cut thrusters until apoapsis reached t=4:19 - Full thrusters at apoapsis t=4:37 - cut thrusters - low orbit achieved t=32:13 - Maneuvered to burn prograde at periapsis (Begin Hohmann Transfer) t=33:06 - Full thrust at periapsis t=33:45 - Released empty fuel, full thrust with small liquid thruster t=34:40 - Maneuvereed to retrograde to decrease apoapsis t=35:47 Released capsule surrounding satellite. Satellite still attached to rocket. Extended instruments t=1:55:30 Maneuvered to burn prograde t=1:57:06 Full thrust at apoapsis t=1:57:30 Cut thrusters t=2:29:06 Burned fuel full thrust for ~.5s at periapsis. Apoapsis overshoots by several thousand meters t=2:29:24 Burned retrograde for ~3s t=4:51:40 Burned retrograde at the apoapsis until the periapsis reached 2,866 km t=1d 1:51:22 Burned retrograde at periapsis until apoapsis reached 2,866 km t=1d 2:50:46 Used RCS thrusters at apoapsis to reduce periapsis to 2,863 km t=1d 5:48:23 Used RCS thrusters at periapsis to reduce apoapsis to 2,863 km. Keosynchronous orbit achieved Photographs: Total Flight Time: Still in orbit Summary: Overall, a successful mission. While our expert pilot did make a few mistakes that extended our total flight time by a few in-game hours, the flight went off without a hitch. There were no explosions, everything operated smoothly, and there's still enough fuel on the Hyperion to make adjustments should the need arise. We achieved two milestones on this launch: First working satellite placed in stable orbit - $80,000, and First working satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit - $100,000. Learnings: It is relatively simple, and not very costly to get an object into orbit. It should be extremely simple to force an object into orbit in such a way that we make quick contact with the mun. Strategies: Our next goal is to either put up a manned space station, or to get a kerbal to the mun. If we put up the space station first, that could create a very simple stopping point mid-flight to refuel and store crew to prevent excessive death in case of catastrophe. Milestone Awards Presented: First working satellite placed in orbit - $80,000; First working satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit - $100,000. Final Funds: $256,182 (Starting Funds) - $63,580 (Rocket) - $6,358 (Tax) + $80,000 (First Satellite in Orbit) + $100,000 (First Satellite in Geosynchronous Orbit) = $366,244
  6. "Hyperion" Satellite Pre-Flight Available Funds: $256,182 Vehicle Name: Hyperion Vehicle Parts List: 2 Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank ($5750) 1 Rockomax X-200-16 Fuel Tank ($1550) 2 S1-SRB-KD25K "Kickback" Booster ($2700) 1 RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine ($13000) 1 RE-I5 "Skipper" Liquid Fuel Engine ($5300) 8 RV-105 RCS Thruster Block ($620) 2 Stratus-V Roundified Monopropellant Tank ($200) 1 FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank ($600) 1 RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit ($2250) 1 Z-1k Rechargeable Battery Bank ($880) 2 Gigantor XL Solar Array ($3000) 1 Communatron 88-88 ($1100) 1 TR-18A Stack Decoupler ($400) 1 AE-FF2 Airstream Protective Shell (2.5m) ($854) 1 Rockomax Brand Decoupler ($550) 1 Advance Reaction Wheel Module Large ($2100) 2 Advanced Nose Cone - Type B ($320) 4 AV-R8 Winglet ($640) 4 AV-T1 Winglet ($500) 8 EAS-4 Strut connector ($42) 2 TT-38K Radial Decoupler ($600) (Some cost in image due to change in shape of capsule holding satellite) Design Goals: Rocket designed to exit atmosphere and enter Low-Kerbin Orbit. The second stage will then be used to conduct a Hohmann Transfer to enter Keosynchronous orbit, and remaining fuel used to fine tune Periapsis and Apoapsis. In a real-life scenario, would function as a comm. satellite. Launch Goals: Our hope for this launch is to get our satellite into geosynchronous orbit with kerbin, accomplishing the first two satellite milestones. After this, our next goal will either be to setup a space station, or reach the mun. Pilot Plan: Use the solid fuel thrusters and large liquid thruster to exit atmosphere. Detach solids once fuel runs out. Use large liquid thruster to get rocket into eastward low-kerbin orbit (70,000+ m), and use remaining fuel to extend the orbit further out. Detach large liquid fuel thruster, switching to the small liquid fuel thruster. Using small liquid fuel thruster, conduct a Hohmann Transfer by burning prograde at the periapsis until apoapsis is at ~2,863,333 m, then cut thrusters and wait until rocket hits apoapsis. At apoapsis, burn prograde until periapsis is at ~2,863,333 m. Use liquid fuel & manually controlled RCS thrusters (detach liquid fuel once out) to fine tune orbit. Solar panels and antenna set to extend with light key.
  7. Team Name: MuraLeo Inc. Available Funds: $70,549 Vehicle Name: The Traveller Mk 3 Vehicle Parts List: 1 Mk. 1 Command Pod $600, 1 FL-T400 Fuel tank $500, 4 FL-T800 Fuel tank $800, 3 TR-18A Stack Decoupler $400, 3 RV-105 RCS Thruster Block $620, 1 Mk.16 parachute $422, 5 RT-10 "Hammer" Booster $400, 3 Mk-12R Radial Mount Drogue Chute $150, 1 LV-909 "Terrier" Liquid Fuel Engine $390, 3 LV-T45 "Swivel" Liquid Fuel Engine $1200, 1 LV-T30 Liquid "Reliant" Fuel Engine $1100, 7 Aerodynamic Nose Cones $240, 3 AV-R8 Winglet $640, 3 LT-05 Micro Landing Strut $200, 3 TT-18A Launch Stability Enhancer $200, 1 Advanced Inline Stabilizer $1200, 10 Sepratron 1 $75, 1 Z-100 Rechargable Battery Pack $80 Total Vehicle Cost: Design Goals: The Traveller Mk 3 (Mk 2 not launched due to safety concerns), is designed to exit Kerbin's atmosphere, achieve stable orbit, and return SAFELY to Kerbin's surface Launch Goals: Achieve following milestones: Launch to 10 km Manned Launch to 10 km Manned Launch to 50 km Achieving stable orbit Achieving manned stable orbit First Kerbal EVA Pilot Plan: Launch using solid thrusters, then switch to stage 2 to achieve a stable orbit. Using the 3rd stage we will exit orbit and re enter. Through use of main thrusters and other emergency boosters to slow the command pod down, we will land the pod on land. Illustrations:
  8. Launch Time: 11:27 AM, May 15, 2017 Members Present: Jonathan Mura, Kenny Sorlie, Sam Papaleo Flight Log: Ground: Activated Solid Fuel Thrusters Released Radial Stability Enhancers t=0:33, released solid fuel thrusters t=0:36, reached 10 km t=1:20, turned off liquid thrusters t=1:52, rotated to 15o above horizon t=2:22, full thrusters t=2:41, reached 50 km t=5:17, turned to 0o, full throtle t=5:19, detached liquid fuel thrusters, entered final stage t=5:53, stable orbit, 92 km Periapsis, 94 km Apoapsis t=7:00, Valentina EVA t=7:40, Valentina returns to ship t=23:53, Maneuvered to burn retrograde and reenter atmosphere t=24:24, Full thrusters t=24:50, Turned off thrusters t=28:10, entered atmosphere t=28:27, High thrusters to counteract burn up in atmosphere t=28:40, Entered surface altitude t=29:05, Last of fuel used t=29:40, Activated Parachute t=29:50, Parachute burned up t=29:56, Crash landing, Valentina dead Memorial: Valentina was a brave kerbal, who wanted nothing more than to go where no other kerbal has gone before. Even in her final moments, the in-flight cameras caught her with a giant grin on her face, knowing that her death would be the base for even greater space operations. While she will be missed, we at Muraleo Inc refuse to let her death put an end to the dreams which Valentina stood for, and will continue to send fearless kerbals where dreams of greatness come true. Flight Summary: The majority of the flight went off without a hitch. Our biggest concerns stem from reentry into the atmosphere, and ensuring that we have enough fuel to counteract gravity as we decrease altitude. In addition, it may be beneficial to keep the flight in low orbit, so as to reduce the change in velocity during reentry. Future Strategy: For our next flight, we will be adding more parachutes with a greater speed tolerance, as well as several radially mounted solid fuel thrusters in order to slow down the flight on reentry, assuming it is falling too quickly when the liquid fuel runs out. Our hope is that this will keep our pilot intact long enough for us to treat any injuries accrued over the flight. Ending Funds: $100,000 (Starting) - $26,774 (Rocket) - $2,677 (Tax) = $70,549 (Final) "The Traveller Mk 3" Launch Time: 11:02 Team Present: Jonathan Mura, Kenny Sorlie Flight Log: t=0:00, Stage 1 solid fuel boosters active t=0:24, Solids decoupled, Stage 2 liquid fuel at 50% t=0:50, 10 km t=1:35, Thrusters cut t=1:46, Maneuvered to 5o above horizontal t=2:00, 50 km t=2:48, Full Thrust t=3:15, Decoupled Stage 2, Stage 3 liquid at 100% t=4:24, Cut thrusters, Stable orbit @ ~80 km t=4:47, Bill EVA t=4:54, Bill reenters vehicle t=27:53, Maneuvered to burn retrograde t=28:04, Full thrusters to exit orbit t=28:35, Cut thrusters to conserve fuel t=31:00, Entered atmosphere t=31:35, Full thrusters to prevent overheat on reentry t=31:53, Jettisoned Stage 3 t=32:18, Activated first set of emergency solid thrusters t=32:26, Drogue chutes deployed t=34:46, Deployed main parachute t=35:00, Deployed second set of emergency thrusters & crash landed. Bill survived Photographs: Total Flight Time: 35:00 Summary: Launch and height gain were successful and went without a hitch. Once at a suitable height, we chose 80km, stage 2 was used along with stage 3 to achieve orbit. This orbit was at the same altitude, with a 4km deviation from 80km altitude (82-78). Once over land, the 3rd stage was used to exit orbit back into the atmosphere, where a use of some thrust allowed the ship not to burn up in the atmosphere. Once stage 3 was out of fuel, it was jettisoned and just the pod with it's emergency thrusters and parachutes remained. The pod continued to fall for a while before the first set of "slow down" thrusters were activated, slowing the pod down to a speed where drouge chutes could be used. These slowed the pod down to 25 m/s until very close to the ground, where the main parachute was deployed. The chute was deployed a bit late and wasn't going to open before impact, so the final set of emergency thrusters were used to slow the crash landing. This was successful, and the pod survived the landing, with Bill (somehow) unharmed. Learnings: The emergency thrusters were absolutely a good idea, and used alongside drogue chutes, they can make the absolute safest method of landing a ship after a fast re-entry. Project Timeline: Our next project will likely be to get a small satellite into a stable orbit, as that won't be too difficult and let us learn a bit more about the different parts of the game. Milestone Awards Presented: Launch to 10 km - $10,000 Manned launch to 10 km - $20,000 Manned launch to 50 km - $30,000 Achieving stable orbit - $40,000 Achieving stable manned orbit - $50,000 First Kerbal EVA - $60,000 Available funds: $70,549 (Starting) - $22,152 (Ship) - $2,215 (Tax) = $46,182 (Final)
  9. SgtLongcoat

    Football to the Face

    Ouch, that looked like it hurt. I swear it looked like the poor bloke's eyeball got squished a little there. It's actually kind of interesting, because it shows just how much momentum was transferred from the ball to his face in such a short time, too.
  10. The square cube law only partially applies here. While it's true that within a SPECIES, larger organisms are less energy efficient, AS a species, larger species are actually more efficient and more likely to survive. While its entirely possible that Godzilla would collapse in on itself, it's also possible that, if it were to evolve naturally, it would actually have a fighting chance.
  11. I can think of two wild yet simple explanations, both probably incorrect but still worth thinking about. The first is that we're inside a computer simulation, and physics is just a giant attempt to understand what the computer is thinking. The second, and slightly more likely, is akin to folding a piece of paper and having an ant move from point a to point b instantly. Simply put, there are other dimensions that we don't fully understand yet, and because of those dimensions, it's possible to bend three dimensional space such that point a is technically touching point b, similar to an ant. This would imply that trying to measure the entangled particles somehow unbends 3d space, however that would be possible.
  12. SgtLongcoat

    Mafia 3

    Does that mean that it gives collisions that would normally be seen as small a larger affect? For example, t-boning another car will actually damage your car pretty seriously too?
  13. What if it were only created in a specific space, such as inside a cube filled with some liquid that could have its density changed rapidly? Either that, or use some light emitting device to outline the image, then have it emit the light and move as necessary. Do you think either of those could work?
  14. My only question is do you think this will ever be practical? Given the precision of the instruments involved, if anything moved, the entire illusion would fail. What I'm wondering is if something like the Metal Gear Solid cloaking suit would ever be possible.
  15. This Thursday, the Irondequoit High School Philharmonic Orchestra and Choirs will be performing their major works concert at the St. Mary's Church, right next to the Geva theater. It's quite the interesting concert to perform, in that we're all playing in an unfamiliar venue, and have had only a single day where we ALL got together to practice. Oh, and it doesn't help that the acoustics in the church are terrible, arguably only a little better than the IHS gymnasium. Why are they terrible, you ask? Let me tell you. In a real theater or concert hall, the entire venue is designed with the acoustics in mind. For simplicity's sake, imagine sound waves as transverse instead of longitudinal. As Physics 1 taught us, if there's more than one source of sound, the sound will be amplified where peak meets peak and trough meets trough, and nullified where trough meets peak. Because the architects who designed the building know, in general, where the performers will be, they'll have a good idea of where the sound will be loudest (likes meet), and quietest (opposites meet), and will thus place the aisles at quiet points and the seats in louder areas, to maximize the enjoy-ability of the performance. Churches, however, (like St. Mary's) are not designed with acoustics in mind. Churches are designed for masses in which they generally have only a single person speaking, meaning that even if sound reflects off the walls, there's generally going to be a pretty similar listening experience everywhere. As such, the seats are organized in straight rows which are evenly spaced, meaning that when the orchestra starts playing, there's going to be some odd spots in which the sound dwindles more. Add to that the cramped feel of squeezing an ~20 person orchestra and ~50 person choir onto and in front of an altar, and it makes for a really interesting performance.
  16. I recently found an online play-through of a game called OneShot, a fourth wall breaking game in which the main character, Niko, has to restore the sun (just a giant lightbulb) to a world in which the previous sun died out with the help of the player, who acts as a... far from omniscient god of the world that can't directly interact with anything and can only be heard by Niko. Throughout the game, characters reference a material called phosphor, which they say gives off the power of their previous sun, and is used to provide light, generate power, and grow plants. While bored, I decided to do a quick google search for phosphor, and it turns out it's actually a real thing, although it doesn't function as it does in the game. In real life, phosphor is a luminescent material used to coat various lights in order to change the color that they emit, with the simplest example being LEDs. For example, most white LED lights actually utilize a blue light to generate their light. How does the light become white then? The answer is that there's a phosphor coating around the light which absorbs light at the blue wavelength, and re-emits light at longer wavelengths, resulting in a full spectrum of visible light instead of a single color. And it should be noted that phosphor isn't a single compound, however, but an entire category of compounds. By changing which compound is used, as well as its density, its possible to achieve a variety of affects from simple lighting to creation of glow-in-the dark materials.
  17. Ever heard a song or some other set of sounds and thought you could make out some sound or phrase that, on close examination, wasn't really there? I'm not talking about misheard lyrics, but lyrics that didn't even exist at a point in a song. Well there's a reason for that. The reason is that, due to the way the song is layered, a specific set of frequencies that the song's instruments play is close enough to the set of frequencies that would be heard if a human were talking, that the brain can perceive it as such. Don't believe me? Here's a video of various songs broken up into sets of notes based on the frequencies in their audio files, and then played solely on a virtual piano. There is no other instrument being played here, simply a piano. See how much if it you can make out: No, the video doesn't just consist of All Star, but it is a common enough song that you should be able to pick out at least some of the lyrics. So, why exactly does this work? As a human speaks, the frequency of their voice changes in order to create the sounds of various sets of letters. At the same time, their voice cuts in and out, also to get the proper sounds of the syllables being said, to make it more smooth. By copying these frequencies precisely at the precise times they occur, it's possible to use any instrument in order to simulate human speech patterns, thus creating the illusion of a voice being heard. This not enough to convince you that a computer could mimic a human voice? Look up a video of a neural network analyzing human speech. It can actually get pretty freaky to listen to.
  18. Over the weekend, I finally watched Disney's Moana (it's been out for what, almost half a year?), and let me say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was just the right combination of funny, dramatic, and the Rock singing to keep me in my seat for a solid hour and a half. Now, being Disney, I'm not even going to pretend that physics makes sense (how does the water move like it's alive? is it possible to have a giant air pocket directly underneath water? how is matter conserved when Maoi transforms?), but one part of the film particularly set off my physics sensors, and that was when Maoi was singing about his many accomplishments as a demigod. He stated that he "lassoed the sun," giving the people of Moana's earth longer days, and implying that he pulled the sun closer to the earth. Now, ignoring the fact that the sun is a giant fusion reactor and anything that came into contact with it would almost immediately burn up, I wanted to find out if pulling the sun closer to the earth would actually increase the length of the day. Now, in order to make this simple, I'm going to make two assumptions. The first is that Moana's earth follows a geocentric model, that way the sun's movement will actually affect day length instead of year length, and the other is that the sun orbits Moana's earth in a perfect circle. Obviously this isn't true in reality, but it makes the math easier. So, being the sun follows uniform circular motion around the earth, Fc=Fg, meaning mv2/r=GMm/r2, where m is the mass of the sun, and M is the mass of the earth, and r is the distance between them. Simplifying and solving for v, we get v=(GM/r)1/2. Of course, this tells us nothing about the period of revolution. In uniform circular motion, the period T=2πr/v, and substituting in our previous equation, we find that the period of revolution, as a function of the radius (everything else is constant) T=2πr3/2/(GM)1/2. This means that as the radius increases, the period increases, and, more importantly, as the radius decreases, so does the period. Being our period of revolution in a geocentric model is equal to the day length, this means that Maoi pulling the sun closer should have decreased the length of a day, not increased.
  19. Except, if it were connected by cable, it would only take about a tenth of a second for the light to travel to the other side of the globe. I do understand that that's a lot of time when talking about video games, but I still don't think that's a major factor in the whole jitteriness issue.
  20. So, pretty much like how a bar code works, except instead of having lines which represent data scanned by a light, it uses the moving charges created when you swipe the card to read the data?
  21. Wow, that's actually pretty neat. Just to clarify: do they run a small current through your finger to measure the capacitance, or do they simply rely on the small amount of electric charge already running throughout the human body?
  22. SgtLongcoat

    Flopotron

    I've seen this before, and its completely ridiculous. I wanna know how he finds the time to meticulously program each and every song, considering how many parts are involved.
  23. For anybody not familiar with Boyle's Flask, it's a reservoir of water connected at the bottom to a tube such that the water infinitely pours into itself. Essentially, perpetual motion. And it's only a theoretical concept. With that in mind, watch this quick video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS1KXMsE2qk Done? OK, now, can you tell me what the video did wrong? If you answered used an obscure method to trick the viewer into thinking it actually worked, you're 100% correct. Based on a few other videos which debunk the scam, fluid dynamics don't work like that, even for a carbonated beverage. When put into an actual constructed Boyle's Flask, without a hidden motor, liquids, even carbonated ones, will eventually reach an equilibrium point where the surfaces of both liquids are at the same height, WITHOUT pouring back into the flask. Even if the liquid is drawn out so that it reaches the end of the tube, instead of flowing down into the flask, the difference in pressure will actually pull the liquid back through the tube until it reaches dynamic equilibrium once again. Of course, this isn't saying perpetual motion is impossible, but it is saying that this specific instance has been largely disproved by actual science.
  24. One of my favorite games that I've found recently is Starbound. It's a 2D sandbox game revolving around travelling through space to fight off a threat which seeks to destroy all life in the universe. I've built countless bases and colonies on planets which range from a perpetual tundra to a giant magma ocean, and I love it. But there is one thing that's always bothered me. Gravity. And not because they got it wrong, but because they got it half right. The developers included planets of varying sizes, and, in game, larger planets have a higher mass and gravity, and the force of gravity decreases as you move farther from the surface. However, one thing the developers didn't implement (aside from low gravity on your ship, which isn't even spinning to simulate gravity) is the difference in gravity as you move towards the center of the planet. You know the equation for gravity, right? F = GM1M2/r2, right? Well, that only applies outside an object. Inside an object, gravity is actually linearly proportional to your radial distance from the center, meaning it decreases as you go further in, at least if you assume density as a constant. But in Starbound, gravity doesn't change at all as you go further down. As a matter of fact, from hours of play time, it seems as though gravity near the core of a planet is the same as gravity at the surface. It may just be me on this, but it really bugs me that the developers didn't even implement the (wrong) assumption that gravity would increase near the core, instead opting for a simpler approach to gravity. Granted, it did make getting out of the planet a lot easier...
  25. More Rick and Morty! This time, I'm talking about the episode where Rick and his son in law, Jerry, are trapped in a simulation inside a simulation inside a simulation (no, that's not a typo) by a species of space pirates who are out to get Rick's recipe for concentrated dark matter, which he uses for intergalactic space travel. By the end of the episode, Rick tricks them into blowing themselves up by convincing them that the recipe involves, "2 parts plutonic quarks, 1 part cesium, then add water." Anybody who knows anything about atomic metals will recognize cesium as an alkaline metal which... doesn't exactly get along well with water. Simply put, by combining alkaline metals and water, you can create a small explosion. And I mean small. While some TV shows will show insane explosions resulting from mixing the two, it takes an insane amount of metal to actually cause serious damage. Presumably the "plutonic quarks" are some sci-fi way of amplifying the explosion, but I'm not going to dwell on that too much.
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