New member writes...

From:
To:
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 7:40 AM
Subject: [spacesettlers] New member writes...

[snikt]
> If my Maths is correct, a colonies 'floor' rotating about 100 metres
> from its axis would have a rotation speed of about 30 metres per
> second, this is remarkably fast. If one was to walk against the
> direction of orbital motion, surely their strides would be
> unmanageably large due to the combined effect on the rotating floor
> and their own movement.
> The only thing I can think of is friction by the ground on the other
> foot. Also, what if they jumped in the air?
>
> How will people in these colonies get from A to B?
>

You're doing a common mistake by using "intuitive physics". You're assuming
that, somehow, a person gets completely still as soon as it looses contact
with the inner surface of the colony (e.g., by jumping). But in fact people
have inertia, and a person that jumps inside your colony with a 100 meters
radius will *also* have a speed of 30 m/s perpendicular to the rotation
axis - exactly the same tangent velocity of the floor. Since the floor and
the person have speeds of the same value and direction, the floor will in
fact look still for the person jumping - as when he or she jumps on Earth.

"Intuitive physics" also tell things like "a bomb dropped from a plane will
follow a straight line to the surface and hit the point that was below the
plane at the moment when the bomb was dropped". But in fact bombs dropped
from planes follow a *parabolic* trajectory, due to the same inertial
effects...

> Any response would be much appreciated.
>

By the way, you're welcome! ;-)

> John
[snikt]

Lucio