Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction
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“Not Long before the End” (story), and energy crisis, 289
nuclear pulse drive. See Orion drive
nuclear war, 276–278
Oberth, Hermann, 61–62, 73
Odd John (novel), 261
“On Being the Right Size” (essay), 39
Once and Future King, The (novel), and owl post, 54
O’Neill colony, 87–88, 95–96
On the Beach (novel), 276
“On Thud and Blunder” (essay), 3
Operation Chaos (novel), and conservation of mass, 15
orbit: geosynchronous, 20, 103, 113, 116–117, 119, 124, 127; low Earth, 80, 103, 117, 119, 131, 293
orbital speed, 82, 117, 120, 121; of a planet, 236, 247, 339–340; of a star, 247
Orion drive, propulsion system, 80, 151–157
owl post, possibility of, 54
payload, rocket, 77–78, 80, 137, 146, 151, 154–155, 159–160, 169, 265
perihelion, 135–136, 232
photons, rocket propulsion by, 167, 173, 262–263
photosynthesis: alien, 251–253; efficiency of, 108–109, 111; for terraforming, 299–301
Picard, Captain Jean-Luc: tea made in stupidest way possible by, 333; and transporter malfunction, 20
Planck’s constant, 17, 19, 63
planetary temperature. See temperature, planetary
Poincaré, Henri, 349
positron, 166–168
potential energy: chemical, 147–148; forms of, 6; gravitational, 124, 144n4, 309
Pournelle, Jerry, 153, 192, 197, 257, 262, 326
power: of an antimatter rocket, 173; of blackbody emitter, 32; definition of, 8; extraction of from black holes, 344–345; and Kardashev scale, 328–330, 332–334
powered slingshot maneuver, 140–141
power requirements: to destroy a planet, 310; for flying, 51–53, 67–68; for generating antimatter, 172; for ideal computer, 64; to move a planet, 341; for space elevator climbers, 123, 126; for space station agriculture, 109
Prime Directive, 259
principle of mediocrity. See Copernican principle
Project Daedalus, 158–159
proton, 7, 30, 150, 356; proton-antiproton reaction, 168; proton-proton cycle, 158, 164, 224
proton decay, 346
public key encryption, 212
pulsars, and alien contact, 244
Purcell, Edward, and interstellar travel, 173–174
quantum mechanics: and antimatter, 166; and black hole evaporation, 346–347; and faster-than-light travel, 189, 202, 210, 212; and teleportation, 17
radio telescope, for detecting alien intelligence, 244, 265
range equation, 68
Rayleigh resolution criterion, 245
reference frame: and faster-than-light travel, 189, 191–193, 200, 202, 203, 206, 210–211, 319; in relativity, 177; in rotating coordinate system, 96, 99; and teleportation, 20
relativity, 4, 7, 157, 174, 211–212, 244; Ehrenfest’s paradox and (see Ehrenfest’s paradox); general theory of, 190–196, 202, 206; of simultaneity, 192; special theory of, 160, 166, 176–177, 179–185, 187, 189
respiration cycle, 110, 236, 295–296, 299
retinal cells, wavelength sensitivity of, 29
Ringworld, 311; Ehrenfest’s paradox and, 318–320; instability of, 306, 320–323; parameters of, 311–317; structural strength of, 316; and Type II civilizations, 333
Road Runner, cartoon physics of, 91
Roadside Picnic (novel), and alien contact, 266
rocket equation, 73, 78–79, 82, 85n1, 113, 119, 137, 144n2; relativistic, 160, 173, 265
Rocket Ship Galileo (novel), and NERVA program, 72, 152
“Rotating Cylinders and the Possibility of Global Causality Violation” (paper), 198; (short story), 198–199
Rowling, J. K.: science and magic in Harry Potter novels of, 4, 14, 25–26, 37, 54; and time travel paradoxes, 210
RSA algorithm, and time travel information paradox, 207
Sagan, Carl: and alien contact, 242, 244, 265; and Contact (novel), 190, 199; and Kardashev scale, 327; and terraforming Mars, 297
Sagan problem, definition of, 292
Saturn’s rings, stability of, 321–322
scaling law(s), 40, 43, 45, 51
Schiaparelli, Giovanni, and life on Mars, 228
scrith, properties of, 314, 316, 317, 323
SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), 244, 257
shape-changing, and conservation of mass, 14
Shermer, Michael, and lifetime of alien civilizations, 269–270
Shoemaker-Levy 9, 337
shuttle, space, 62; free fall on, 93; fuel-payload mass ratio of, 79, 80; mission costs of, 80–84; orbit of, 74–77, 117
singularity, 196, 198–199
skyhook, geosynchronous. See elevator, space
Smith, E. E. “Doc,” and “inertialess drive,” 189
Smith, Cordwainer, and galactic civilizations, 326
Smith, George O., and space colonies, 86, 110
solar constant, value of: above Earth’s atmosphere, 108–109, 264; on Mars, 296, 300
Solaris (novel), and alien contact, 267
Solar System: comet and asteroid impacts in, 338; Earth-like planets in, 269, 293; eccentricities of planets in, 232–233; in high-temperature interstellar “bubble,” 164; life in, 4, 178, 244; planetary distances in, 177; planet mass in, 118, 308, 312; types of planets in, 218–220
sound, speed of, in Ringworld structural material, 317
Space:1999 (TV show), and lack of attention to relativity, 189
Space Adventures, 74, 81–82
Space Cadet (novel): artificial gravity in, 93; atmosphere generation in, 111; size and cost of space station in, 112
space elevator. See elevator, space
space tourism, 73–74, 81, 87
space travel, 1, 4, 154, 335; costs of, 61, 71, 74, 80, 82–83; energetics of, 6, 61; examples of in science fiction, 72–73; manned, 60, 143; and space warfare, 260
SpaceX Dragon, 84
special relativity. See relativity: special theory of
specific impulse, 79–80, 155
spectral class: correlations with mass of, 248; definition of, 222
speed of light. See light, value of speed of
spin: and artificial “gravity,” 93, 311; and Coriolis effect, 94–99; quantum mechanical, 210–212; and rotation of water in toilet, 114n
Stapledon, Olaf, 4, 61, 257; and advanced civilizations, 330; and alien life, 260, 275–276; and Dyson sphere, 305; and long-term future history of the universe, 342
Star Maker (novel), 257, 275–276, 330, 342; and Dyson sphere, 305
Starman Jones (novel): aliens in, 38; interstellar travel in, 199
Star Trek (TV show): and alien life, 256, 259; and artificial gravity, 89; and galactic civilizations, 327, 333; and lack of attention to relativity, 189; and manned spaceflight, 143; and transporter issues, 16, 20
“Star Wars” (Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI), 60
Star Wars: Episode IV (movie), 61, 256, 327
Stefan-Boltzmann formula, 32, 223
Stirling, Bruce, 331
Stirling, S. M.: and life on Mars and Venus, 228; and nuclear pulse drive, 153
Stranger in a Strange Land (novel), 228
Strategic defense initiative (SDI). See “Star Wars”
stress: on Dyson sphere, 306; on large space structure’s 307–308, 324; in Ringworld structure, 316–317; in space elevator, 121–123, 129
superconductivity, 17–18
superfluidity, 17
supernova, 221, 343; and acceleration of the universe 342, 348; and galactic habitable zone, 240
surface temperature: of Mars, 228, 231, 296–297; of stars, 220–223; of Venus, 229
suspension bridge: compared to space elevator 120, 125; Ringworld as, 315
swallow, airspeed velocity of unladen, 49
tachyon, 189
Tau Zero (novel): and Big Bang
theory, 342; and Bussard ramjet, 161, 165; and relativity, 177
Taylor, Ted, 153
teleportation, 3, 16–17, 19–20; quantum, 18
temperature, blackbody, 32–34
temperature, planetary: atmospheric composition and, 230, 237, 280–281; energy balance and, 226; for life, 218
terraforming, 161, 231, 292–296, 298–299, 331; economics of, 301–302
terrestrial planet: definition of, 219; variety of conditions on, 220, 238
tesseract, 190, 213n2
thermodynamics: first law of, 65; second law of, 14, 21–22, 66
Thorne, Kip, 190, 197, 199, 204, 292; and exotic matter, 200–201; and time-travel paradoxes, 205
three-body problem, 103, 138
thrust, of rocket, 78–80, 151–152, 154–155, 162–163
tidal force, 196, 203, 307
Time for the Stars (novel), and relativity, 176, 182, 192, 204
time machine, 26, 198–199, 204–209, 213n5
time travel: and entropy, 25, 209; equivalence to faster-than-light travel of, 4, 190–191; and Kerr black holes, 198; logical paradoxes of, 205–209; and use by magicians, 26; and wormholes, 204
trajectory: ballistic, 68–69; on rotating space station, 97–99
transfer orbit. See Hohmann transfer orbit
tritium, for fusion reactions, 158–159
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin: and space elevator, 116, 121; and space exploration, 61–62, 73, 88
twin paradox, 176, 191, 204
Ulam, Stanislaw: and gravity slingshot, 144n3; and Project Orion, 153
unobtainium, 265
urban fantasy, 4, 8n1, 27
vacuum fluctuations, 204
Venus, 218; distance from Earth of, 131; greenhouse effect and planetary temperature of, 220, 229–231; life on, 226, 260; atmospheric composition of, 233; and terraforming, 293–294
War of the Worlds (novel): and interplanetary war, 260; and Martian life, 228
wave, electromagnetic. See wave, light
wave, light, 29–31
wavelength: blackbody spectrum peak, 33; definition and formula for, 31; Rayleigh criterion and, 245; of visible light, 31–32
weightlessness. See free fall
Wells, H. G.: and life on Mars, 228, 243; and information paradox, 206; and interplanetary war, 260; and spaceflight, 72
“What Good Is a Glass Dagger?” (story), 15
Wiley Coyote, and cartoon physics, 91
Wiley Coyote trajectory, 99, 101
wormhole, 190, 198, 200–204, 206, 208
World out of Time, A (novel), 161, 177
Wrinkle in Time, A (novel), and the tesseract, 190
Ythrians, 53
Zelazny, Roger, 1
zero-G. See free fall
zone of life, 225, 227, 238, 293