The Physics of Science Fiction UPGRADED AND REMASTERED: Artificial Gravity and Centrifugal Force

The last of the upgraded movies. This one in fact required almost no upgrade at all, having been the first one I uploaded at high quality two years ago. But it did have that sound problem, which is fixed now and forever ;)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• star
• trek
• gravity
• physics
• orbit
• battlestar
• mission
• mars
• NASA
• shuttle

[caessarion]

we would love to get outside the radiation belts, but we never will

[SpreadingtheMuse]

@caessarion VABs are magnetic, right? Therefore they can only catch magnetic radiation. Alpha (positive) or Beta (negative). Gamma and Xray are neutral, therefore cannot be caught or concentrated in the belts.  The problem is, both alpha and beta are particles, and all particle radiation can be blocked with plastic. Rudimentary Radiation safety taught in every class in the world.

[LouistheHedgehog]

Can't they just tyrn the artificial gravity generators on and off for the sections where they are and are not needed?

[SpreadingtheMuse]

@LouistheHedgehog They certainly should be able to. But I can only think of one show that ever did that, and episode of ST: Enterprise

[Crusnik2000]

@spreadingthemuse, i own Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica they are some of my favorite scifi series. Thank you for using clips from both series in your space battle and science fiction physics series to make your point. PS i know how captain Sheridan is rescued but i and not going to tell to keep the surprise

[SpreadingtheMuse]

@Crusnik2000 Everytime I show this video for an audience I always get a raise of hands "HOW DID HE LIVE!??" and I enjoy playing around with it. The full scene was uploaded by a die-hard B5 fan and is on youtube of course. ;)

[isaiahawsum]

@isaiahawsum not isotope, some other thing. Anyway, electrically charged particle(whatever the true scientific name is)

[isaiahawsum]

I know this is probably wrong, but couldn't you just magnetize everything? Everything has an isotope, which is why static electricity, plain electricity, and magnetism works, so why can't we advance magnetics some years down the line to attract every charged isotope? Or wouldthat just kill everybody?

[xyoureyes]

@SpreadingtheMuse At 6:11 you say "just let go and let the force throw you into the fight". If there was a real centrifugal force then the scene of the fighters launching directly outward from the ship would be accurate. But you and I know that is not what would happen. They would follow a path tangential to the rotation of the ship.I never said it is an "illusion of motion" but an "illusion of force". But I agree even a fictitious force can be useful in certain situations.

[Crusnik2000]

thank you for using Clips from Babylon 5 as an example of artificial Gravity. i once did the same in physics in college and earned extra credit for the example. PS i know how Captain Sheridan is rescued from his fall. but i will not spoil the surprise.