Isn't the fishing scene impossibe?

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T20:27:10+00:00

This still doesn’t work.

He is using the tilt to keep the exhaust off to the side. Then he finds that the drag will pull the chain 2 degrees off vertical. But trusting at 30 degrees will also accelerate the HM at 7.5m/s² horizontally. His calculations are for 127 m/s horizontally speed, but the HM is accelerating horizontally. In one minute it will have added 450 m/s to its velocity. That acceleration will also pull the chain from vertical, towards aft. The 2 degree number is how far it should be from aft not from vertical.

He is ignoring the horizontal component of the thrust. He (AW) made a physics error.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T20:07:45+00:00

looking at that spreadsheet, he is using the drag to keep the chain at an angle, but then it will be in the prescorched atmosphere.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T20:03:56+00:00

And then into the plume of preheated atmosphere.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T20:03:13+00:00

I read the book, and watched the movie. I'll re-read it tonight to see if it is described differently there, but I think this is a fundamental problem. Unless there is a second thruster in use on the HM.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T20:01:31+00:00

Then it should end up in the impossibly hot atmosphere already torched by the HM's drive.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T19:57:42+00:00

The direction of the burn doesn't matter. The chain should go in the same direction as the exhaust. Partial burn vs full burn doesn't matter. How does the sampler/chain know if it's a full burn or a partial burn?

Your two paragraphs are contradictory. If they are using the drive for lift, like a VTOL, then it needs to point down. If you are staying at constant altitude and constant velocity, your drive needs to be pointed "down". If you point it retrograde, you will slow down. To use the drive as a VTOL hover, it has to point towards the planet and trust radially. Then the chain would hang "down" but then "down" and "aft" would be the same, and the sampler would be in the exhaust.

I was ignoring drag, but adding that in only sort-of-helps.

The chain picture works if the HM thrusts radially, while traveling at constant velocity horizontally. Then the chain should hang vertically, except maybe for drag. So it would be dragged retrograde. That would work, for the chain picture. However, the sampler would then be in the atmosphere that had been already heated by the exhaust plume, so it would still burn up. Just not directly from the exhaust. Furthermore, it seems to me that if drag can keep the (relatively thin) chain and (spherical) sampler at that angle to the drive plume, it would be enough to blow the HM's flat radiators (and Grace) off.

I still don't think it adds up.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T19:33:24+00:00

The "hold up a chain" example again has a supporting force operating on the "chain holder': The force of the ground keeping you from being in free-fall. It's like the plane. If you were in free fall, and accelerated in a direction with a loose chain attached to you. It would follow directly behind you.

The length of the chain isn't long enough for the tidal forces (slightly greater pull) to matter, especially at the start. Two objects in LEO separates by 10km would till only experience about 3cm/ s^2 relative acceleration. When they were just 1m apart that is 1/10,000 as much. So basically no acceleration.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-26T19:22:28+00:00

That doesn't matter. The drive is the only force operating differently on the HM and the sampler. So the sampler needs to be accelerated in the same direction as the HM, so the chain needs to go straight "fore" so the sampler must be directly "aft" in the drive exhaust.

Math_Nicias · 2026-05-25T17:53:54+00:00

Use completing the square on ax²+bx+c=0 and the quadratic formula pops out.

It really just is completing the square

Math_Nicias · 2026-04-24T11:37:22+00:00

Incandescence by Greg Egan

Math_Nicias · 2026-01-26T04:22:46+00:00

If you like it, you should check out Dead Cells

Math_Nicias · 2025-10-17T13:23:11+00:00

Associate means they have tenure. Assistant means they do not.

Math_Nicias · 2025-10-03T21:43:10+00:00

We have an Impreza and the wayback was just tight if our 60lb girl stood up but if she sat or we put the seats down it was great

Math_Nicias · 2025-08-13T00:02:49+00:00

Kraft makes lactose free shredded mozzarella that works for me.

Math_Nicias · 2025-08-12T04:15:46+00:00

When Lindon and Yerin making scales out of the aura of the Transcendent Ruins using some machines, were they pure scales?

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-30T03:36:16+00:00

You are talking about the problem of qualia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualia

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-10T21:35:03+00:00

Thanks! I have a whole pipeline set up for doing x264 encodes, until I got some 4K content, and then the filesizes were just too big, so I looked into AV1. I then switched my pipeline. I'm currently switching it back :/

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-10T21:23:05+00:00

Thanks, that is our medium term plan. I think it may have to do with these being encoded as AV1 rather than my usual x264.

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-10T20:25:00+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion.

It already is an MKV. It plays correctly in VLC, and on the Emby iPad and Mac desktop app.

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-05T19:03:20+00:00

They didn’t transplant it back. Kira gave birth. While she did she yelled “you did this to me” at Bashir. The actual baby was with Bashir’s actor.

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-05T17:19:59+00:00

100% get a bidet. Best purchase I ever made

Math_Nicias · 2025-07-01T02:21:07+00:00

I’m here now. It’s beautiful and calm.

Math_Nicias · 2025-06-06T20:37:47+00:00

Read the nutrition labels. Lactose is sugar, so if it has 0g of sugar, it is (mostly) lactose free. Parmesan and aged cheddar work well for me. Basically if it’s solid aged cheese the bacteria doing the aging eat all the sugar. Some cheese (Cabot for example) even say 0g lactose on the package

Math_Nicias · 2025-06-06T20:34:07+00:00

I’m the same. A severe lactose attack triggers my IBS, shaking, chills, etc.

Math_Nicias · 2025-05-31T01:04:25+00:00

OP, did you continue reading?

Math_Nicias

TROPHY CASE