Steam jets
ei...@hotmail.com
is to build thousands perhaps millions of machines along the coast of
the world. The machines would use heat generated from:
a) Whats left of the world's oil reserves
b) Coal
c) Wood (deforestation, perhaps turn it into coal for efficiency)
d) Radio active materials
e) Solar energy
We then pipe in water from the oceans and introduce it to the heat -
generating steam. The steam is then jetted out in a direction opposite
of the Earth's current spin - increasing it's rotational speed.
As long as we continue feeding the machines a fuel and water the earth
should:
a) Cause the earth's spin to begin increasing. With enough time the
centripetal forces will cause the atmosphere to vent into space and
lava flows to increase - possibly causing a very cool earth explosion.
b) The atmosphere will begin flowing in the opposite direction of the
earth's spin. Perhaps causing catostrophic weather conditions.
c) If the earth's spin does increase but there is not enough energy to
cause the afore mentioned "very cool earth explosion" then this group
can move to the equator where, do to the increased speed, our frame of
time will slow thus making the length of time we experience till the
sun's exhausts it's hydrogen more bearable.
What do you think?
Obsidience
BananaOfTheNight
> generating steam. The steam is then jetted out in a direction opposite
> of the Earth's current spin - increasing it's rotational speed.
You have a problem here: the steam must escape the earth's gravitational
pull. Otherwise it will not exert a net force on the earth (the material
and its momentum will just fall back to our miserable planet).
It will have to be *very* fast-moving steam wo achieve this. Bear in
mind that the jet will dissipate in the atmosphere more than a rocket
would, so the steam jets will have to be extremely finely collimated and
with one hell of a speed to leave the planet.
> a) Cause the earth's spin to begin increasing. With enough time the
> centripetal forces will cause the atmosphere to vent into space and
> lava flows to increase - possibly causing a very cool earth explosion.
This, I like. It could happen, provided we spin fast enough.
> b) The atmosphere will begin flowing in the opposite direction of the
> earth's spin. Perhaps causing catostrophic weather conditions.
Useful for wiping out us sapient parasites, but not very good for
*destroying* the Earth.
> c) If the earth's spin does increase but there is not enough energy to
> cause the afore mentioned "very cool earth explosion" then this group
> can move to the equator where, do to the increased speed, our frame of
> time will slow thus making the length of time we experience till the
> sun's exhausts it's hydrogen more bearable.
Changing the timeframe will take an incredible amount of speed - to
stretch time so that 1 million years becomes like 1 year, you will have
to be moving at 99.9999999999% of the speed of light (actual values). At
this speed, we will have exploded (or imploded - something about black
holes and time dilation that I haven't covered yet in my physics course)
Overall: 4/10 because although you have the right mentality (total
obliteration of the third rock from the sun), the plan just isn't
feasible (accelerate steam past the escape velocity with all the
problems that the jet will disperse, etc.).
RLW
Rather than trying to change the planet's rotation, one
could operate the jets (if they were pointed upward) around
sunrise, causing Earth's orbit to decay.
The effect would be slow, but quite useful over time.
Flinging steam out of the atmosphere at escape velocity
would have the added advantage that it would take a good bit
of the atmosphere along with it.
> . . . Overall: 4/10 because although you have the right
ei...@hotmail.com
First the idea of a gradual vaporization of the oceans is impossible
because it already happens and results in rain. Second, as
BananaOfTheNight mentions, unless the steam jets exits the atmosphere
the spin affect would happen (the atmosphere and earth would spin in
different directions counteracting eachother) but would not be
sustainable (atmospheric friction and rain). I'm not versed in fluid
mechanics but I highly doubt that steam would ever be able to reach
escape velocity from ocean level because it would dissipate into the
atmosphere. And finally the idea that the earth spinning faster would
change our reference in time to the sun different is wrong too because
our increased speed would be relative to the center of the earth and
not the sun (earths rotational speed does not affect our speed relative
to the sun).
Which leaves me back at square one...
Oh well, can't say I didn't try ;-)
Obsidience
ei...@hotmail.com
a) force the moon's orbit to decay
b) force the earth into the moon's orbit ;-)
Obsidience
B0B
<ei...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1102364126.4...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> RLW - it would take considerable less energy to:
>
> a) force the moon's orbit to decay
> b) force the earth into the moon's orbit ;-)
You read my mind! What's left of it anyway.....
>
> Obsidience
>
BananaOfTheNight
> BananaOfTheNight mentions, unless the steam jets exits the atmosphere
> the spin affect would happen (the atmosphere and earth would spin in
> different directions counteracting eachother) but would not be
> sustainable (atmospheric friction and rain).
There is another option - freeze the water and dope it with some kind of
magnetic or electrical material. Then you can launch solid blocks of it
from a railgun/coilgun/whatever. This will have the desired effect of
mass transfer (with the added benefit of shooting at things with a giant
cannon-thing).
> I'm not versed in fluid
> mechanics but I highly doubt that steam would ever be able to reach
> escape velocity from ocean level because it would dissipate into the
> atmosphere.
Neither am I. I made a guess based on the fact that liquids/gases tend
to disperse when not contained.
> And finally the idea that the earth spinning faster would
> change our reference in time to the sun different is wrong too because
> our increased speed would be relative to the center of the earth and
> not the sun (earths rotational speed does not affect our speed relative
> to the sun).
It may. If our linear velocity increases, the time frame will change. If
we go fast enough, there will be time dilation on both the 'forward' and
'backward' spin movements of the earth relative to its rotation, but we
will have to go incredibly fast to get a noticeable effect.
> Oh well, can't say I didn't try ;-)
Agreed. At least you are putting effort into thinking about how to
destroy the world rather than saving it (yuk) or just being apathetic
(bleh). You have the right mentality to succeed - all you need is some
physics and/or chemistry background to create a few winners (one good
one is enough...).