Pregnancy in weightlessness

From: "Bill"
To:
Sent: tera-feira, 13 de fevereiro de 2001 12:48
Subject: [spacesettlers] Re: Pregnancy in weightlessness

A fractal pattern isn't going to be more densely packed than a
cubic lattice. For a given volume a cubic pattern is the best
use of space. You won't be able to put more spheres in a fractal
pattern so the actual structure is bigger.

Maybe I did not made myself clear... I did *not* say that in a fractal
pattern the spheres would be more packed than in the cubic lattice. I said
that a given number of spheres that would cause heat dissipation problems in
a cubic lattice would not have those problems when distributed in a fractal
pattern. The structure would indeed be bigger than the cubic lattice, but it
would be smaller (in terms of radius) than a 2D structure with the same
number of spheres, and perhaps could use its three-dimensionality to have
better transportation between the spheres and better structural resistance
than the 2D structure. (Next time I'll try to explain with diagrams - and
perhaps I'll find that my idea does not work. ;-)

By the way, the cubic lattice is *not* the best use of space for a given
volume. A tetrahedral lattice is better. (I think that the tetrahedral
distribution is named after the mathematician who proved that it is optimal
for volume filling, but I forgot the guy's name...)

Bill

Lucio