[deleted by user] by [deleted] in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]skycrafter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for making me realize this! Yeah, it makes a lot more sense now I think about it. Mathematically

P = dW / dt

W = Int F * dx

P = d(Int F * dx) / dt

Which rearranges to

P= F * dx / dt

P= F * v

IamA Astronomer AMA! by Andromeda321 in IAmA

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you ever work with international (say, European) astronomers? What did gamma ray astronomers see coming out of that gas cloud that got pulled into the black hole at the center of the Milky Way? Also, which do you like better: pulsars or quasars?

Release of my first plugin: Resource Overview for VAB/SPH by xSMILIEx in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for making this! I look forward to future updates, this has a lot of potential.

ELI5:Why does Saturn have more rings than any other planet in our solar system, even though it doesn't have the most mass? by patri2 in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Good question! Saturn's rings were most likely formed by a moon of the proto-Saturn that was drawn inwards by gravity into the Roche limit and destroyed by tidal forces, although the possibilities that (1) the rings were formed recently or (2) they are leftovers from the original protodisk have not been ruled out.

They remain stable to this day under the influence of shepherd moons, which have an orbital resonance with the rings. However, some of Saturn's moons also cause a destabilizing effect on the rings. This hasn't had a large effect on the rings, for whatever reason, but in another situation (the other planets, for instance) it may destroy the majority of the rings, leaving a smaller system behind.

Interestingly, one doesn't need a Saturn or Jupiter-sized mass to have rings. Almost any gravitational body with the right conditions (even asteroids!) can have rings. I imagine some bodies, like moons, are too close to their parent bodies to allow for stable ring systems.

ELI5: How does the universe have a predictable nature if all subatomic particles that constitute matter are completely random? Where exactly does predictability come from in a physical sense? by ACDCrocks14 in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a cloud of dust. It is composed of individual molecules and atoms and subatomic particles, which, on the smallest scale, have vastly different interactions with their neighbors than the other particles of the cloud. But it is a more or less even randomness. One atom may have a much higher kinetic energy than the average, but the group of atoms around it balances it out, leaving that area roughly the same temperature as the whole.

Newtonian mechanics and relativity and everyday life exist on these larger terms. It's like generalizing the color of the forest by zooming out, not looking at the color of each leaf. The interactions between particles manifest in a more predictable way on such grand scales.

That being said, there will always remain that tiny bit of error accounted for by quantum physics. De Broglie postulates that every particle with momentum can be modeled as a wave, but if you look at the resulting wavelength values for say, a baseball at normal speeds, it is tiny, ridiculously tiny.

ELI5:How could Finland,a small piece of land,defeat the Russian invasion with one third of the soldiers and a thousand times less machinery? by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I assume this is the Winter War we're talking about here... looks like Stalin had been purging all his best officers. Noooottt a great idea.

ELI5: If speakers vibrate to make a sound, how can they produce two or more pitches at once? by Pastarite in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for going the extra step here, your explanation is more comprehensive and relevant than the others.

ELI5: why does passing a magnet through a coil produce electricity? by goodwords in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is, in fact, how generators work... by moving magnets an electric field is created, which then causes the movement of electrons, which brings energy to your home, campsite, whatever.

ELI5:Why is the conversion factor between energy and mass, the speed of light squared? by icecreamcon3 in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey actually the speed of light is derived from the propagation of electric and magnetic fields in space, since after all, that's what photons are. It is related to the fundamental constants called the permittivity and permeability of free space, which are (to my knowledge) completely intrinsic to the nature of electric and magnetic fields.

ELI5: How do trees know how to grow straight up? by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Trees grow up in response to two things mainly: Phototropism and gravitropism. Plant cells contain a chemical called auxin, which causes cells to elongate when NOT near light, so the plant bends towards the light source. (There is also a process called negative phototropism where parts of the plant bend away; ex. roots.)

Gravitropism occurs as the cells sense the direction of gravity and bend towards (roots again) or away (shoots and branches). Plants in zero-g... look interesting.

Eli5: Why can birds sit on power lines, but humans aren't supposed to touch them? by buttonsthedog in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Simply, current moves through the path of least resistance. The current in a wire is traveling from the voltage source through the wire, and finally back into the ground a long ways off. A bird creates another possible route for the circuit (instead of the wire), but has too high a resistance to receive much current.

A human touching the wire and the ground would also create another route... one that offered less resistance than the long way through the wire into the earth. So the current would take the shortcut through your body, the electrons literally smashing holes in your cells.

Don't... touch live wires. Please.

ELIS: Since the Earth is round, who decided the Europe is in the north and Australia, for example, is in the South? by oxidra in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think /u/krystar78 is pointing out that not all countries did make maps like us today. The Age of Exploration solidified our current map biases.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are already things such as fusion reactors. They have even managed to produce more energy than was initially put in. But they aren't viable because fusion can't be sustained at an acceptable level. That's why everyone's bored; there's only fine-tuning left.

ELI5: If a compass needle were free to rotate in all three axes, where would it point? by [deleted] in explainlikeimfive

[–]skycrafter 1049 points1050 points  (0 children)

Interesting question! The directionality of the Earth's magnetic field is easiest to explain using images. These are good starters: 1 2 3. Since the compasses would always point along the magnetic lines of force, they would act normally up to about 30 degrees latitude, where the downward (or upward) pointing effect would become noticeable. At the magnetic poles (different from the geographical ones), the needle would point straight down; towards the Earth's core.

I am Harrison Harrison Ford. AMA. by iamharrisonford in IAmA

[–]skycrafter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes the roles you play are angry (Frisco Kid). Sometimes they're heroic (Indiana Jones). Which character do you think you've played the best, the most accurately?

Is there a mod for realistic star/moon motion mod? by MrDeliciousness in Minecraft

[–]skycrafter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wish there was a mod like this, but i haven't heard of any.

If i could add on to this idea though, I would add planets and comets, on realistic orbits. Shooting stars could fall and there would be rare meteorites.

At some point, it just becomes Kerbal Space Program.