What would it take to have a functioning Cavorite?
Well first let’s look at how gravity works, or how we
believe it to work. Imagine the universe as a large cloth and on this imaginary
cloth set a bowling ball. The cloth has formed a cone shape around the ball.
This is what extremely massive things such as our earth, or the sun does to
space. It creates this warp in time and space. This warp is what then causes
everything to be attracted to large bodies much like a ‘coin whirl’.
So to create gravity all we need is shit tons of mass. So
the inverse must be true to create anti-gravity.
Anti-Gravity checklist:
- Shit tons of negative mass
- Creepy green glow
- Mad scientist laugh
Now how much negative mass would be needed to lift the
villain in the end of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman? What about that
really cool ship‽ Well that ship has some really cool gadgets/ a whole army of
henchman so it weighs maybe two jumbo jets? Why not. So then it weighs a total
of 800,000 kilograms! Which means our small Cavorite needs to create enough newtons
of force opposite of gravity, to lift this beast and to keep it flying, so F =
mg or F = (800,000) x 9.8. That means we need 7.84 x 10^6 newtons of force to
lift this sucker. Now to find the mass needed I believe and correct me if I’m
wrong, we can use F = GmM/r^2. Which leaves us with, 7.84 x 10^6 = (9.8)(m)(5.97219 × 1024)/ 6378^2. Further simplified and solved
for ‘m’, m = 7.84 x 10^6 (6378^2)/9.8(5.97 x 10^24) and a little maths… mass = 1.94353619388768e+38
negative kilograms, or one really heavy glass jar! Thus we can conclude that we
do indeed need shit tons of negative mass to lift this ship!
This doesn’t however explain why a ship using anti-gravity
to fly needs to be aerodynamic though… We’ll just say cause why the heck not!
Love it!
ReplyDeleteFYI -- http://www.retronaut.com/2011/08/edisons-anti-gravitation-underclothing-1879/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.geekzenith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpeg
DeleteOn top of the anti-Gravity providing lift to something that is > a ton, Moriarty was able to control the ship. i do not want to even know how he figured out that keeping the device in a glass prevented the anti-gravity device from falling into the sky. Going off on that,when quarterman first find the devise and steals it, he doesn't fly off into the sky. Does the icase keep it in place or something? But anyways I have to say that my favorite gadget was Nemo's submarine. On top of looking like a sick squid, it has electricity, every page that their sitting around makes the sub look like a mansion, and last thing (probably coolest)were the mechanical tentacles arm... things that can scoop people out of the water. Plus it would be totally cool to operate that thing. I don't have any idea how such a thing would work but I now totally understand that Captain Nemo is one hell of an engineer.
ReplyDeleteI assume that by closing it off, the lid somehow counteracted the anti-gravity. Poddibly while closed putting an equally large positive force, this would then make the Cavorite, I suppose bouyant would be the best word, and practically weightless while closed.
DeleteI know nobody else liked Griffin, but can't we appreciate that he can be added to the list of geniuses? Hear me out. This man needed to have a crazy grasp on chemistry. I'm talking better than Sherlock Holmes, and that's impressive for the era that all of this takes place. I haven't read The Invisible Man, so I can't say that I know if anything is explained. Ignorance is bliss, however, and I'm going to be content with marveling at Griffin's expertise. Wikipedia has informed me that in 1898 (the time at which LoE takes place) Radon was the newest element to be found. They didn't even have the Periodic Table as we know it today. Hell, some of the elements on our Table have never even been put to use.
ReplyDeleteLike him or not, Griffin is a genius. He is a pervert, a liar, and a cheat, but he is crazy smart.
All geniuses are players, look at Stephen Hawking. But really the smarts these people had is ridiculous for the time period. Electricity really isn't a thing, everything is steam powered, and a machine to take you underwater was just as absurd and ungodly a thing as a flying machine! I would like an explanation as to how to mastering gravity can come before say the invention of a telephone? Seriously how do we have the kind of technology the league has without having any means of communication other than a telegraph or a letter? I am gonna guess just something that needs to be overlooked in Steam punk?
ReplyDeleteBut a genious is not what I would call Griffin, he is more of a cool and calculating, more than not gleaming his knowledge from others and then using it, not actually understanding himself. I mean how smart can you be if you test an invisibility serum on yourself after it kills your lab partner? I think though that an argument could be made that he was at one point a genious, but his time as invisible has made him a morally corrupt and unfeeling person, the whole idea behind him being that if society can't see, society can't blame, out goes his smarts as well, what does he need them for? He is way to busy committing crimes he can never be convicted of.