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[My Name is Immaterial]

I propose that we begin to list out BASIC EXPERIMENTS we should do and ADVANCED TOOLS we should make. The experiments we do now, for the tools we need to determine what we need to actually make them first.

I like this; hopefully the geological work I'm planning will lead to some more Tools.

And I couldn't wait, I wanted to post a couple more experiments.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Mass of The Planet
Objective: Estimate the mass of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Having an estimate of this metric can help us understand the geological makeup of our planet, and of others.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Assuming we already know F_grav for an object at sea level and G, the gravitational constant, take the radius of The Planet we derived earlier, and an imaginary 1 kg weight, and plug them into F_grav=G*(m₁+m₂)/d, solving for m₂. Rewritten: m₂ = G * The Planet's radius * F_grav - 1 Kilogram
Materials: 1 Researcher, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: Dirt: But What IS Dirt?
Objective: Attempt to discern the geological composition of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Understanding the geology of The Planet will help us discover new minerals, understand how The Planet works, and inform density calculations.
Hypothesis: That The Planet's geology is relatively uniform in a vertical context.
Method: Have several shafts dug, sloping down as steeply as is safe. Catalogue the recovered minerals for later experimentation.
Materials: 1 Researcher, TBD Research Assistants, TBD Miners, TBD Mining Equipment, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: What's The Planet Made Of?
Objective: Attempt to determine the greater geological composition of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Understanding the general composition of our planet will help us understand the nature of planetary bodies, and could lead to some important realizations about the deeper nature of The Planet.
Hypothesis: That The Planet has a relatively uniform density.
Method: From the previous experiment, weigh the recovered minerals. Measure the volume of the mines they were removed from, and calculate the density. Compare it to the estimated density we can derive from the previously calculated size and mass of the planet.
Materials: TBD Scales (huge), 1 Researcher, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

[Paxiecrunchle]

 Was there something wrong with my second suggested experiment? Which would be to test two things, the first being the composition of materials here, and wether spectroscopy still works in this universe.

[Paxiecrunchle]

Observation: materials behave differently in this world and the ones were from sometimes exhibiting properties the opposite of what they originally had.

Hypothesis: this is a universal mirror world, we're almost everything behaves in the reverse matter to our own world, only maintaining similar appearances.

Experiment All right, I post test buy some materials from the locals referred to as "acids neutrals and bases quote   Also buy some "animal bones"  from the locals for obtain them ourselves .

  Prediction: the bones will react in a completely different manner than they would when exposed to these substances in our world, for example by crystallizing, or igniting.( if anyone has any ideas for setting up some controls for this experiment, please let me know)

 Unfortunately I can't seem to think of a way to rule out that these reactions might be caused by the bones being made of a different substance rather than the acids neutrals and bases being that way. Any solution

[My Name is Immaterial]

Was there something wrong with my second suggested experiment? Which would be to test two things, the first being the composition of materials here, and wether spectroscopy still works in this universe.

There's nothing wrong with it, I just use my format because it works for me. Use whatever format you feel comfortable with.
I think the only 'problem' is that I don't know if spectrography can be done with our tech level: ie 1600s tech.

[Paxiecrunchle]

;-; but how are we going to tell similar looking elements apart then?

[My Name is Immaterial]

!!SCIENCE!!

Less jokey: we can see what reacts to acids, what conducts electricity, what weighs how much, what melts at what temperature, what tastes like what, etc. We've got to reinvent the wheel, until we develop electronics! That's part of what makes this game so exciting for me!

[Madman198237]

Just start working up the tech trees---again, basic experiments we can do now, versus long-term goals.

Goal 1: Spectrography
--Possible now. Need small telescope (Acquired), prism (Possible to make).
--Needs advanced mechanisms to get more accurate measurements.

Goal 1.1: Advanced Chemistry
Know Thy Elements
--Need to start collecting materials and analyzing them.
--Not my forte, going to need a hand on recreating Ye Olde Chemistry Experiments.

And so on.

Collect some sand, dirt, rocks of all types available. What do they look like?

[blueturtle1134]

You seem to have missed my theory and experiment? Either way, I've a few more, looking to chart the heavens.

Ah yes, sorry. Axial tilt is relative to the rest of the universe, not the sun, we "tilt in" and "tilt out" at regular intervals. Day length and seasons change because of this, this is a superficial similarity.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Size of the Planet
Objective: Estimate the diameter, circumference, and volume of the planet.
Expected outcome: Having an estimate of these metrics can help us understand the cosmology of the solar system better.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Eratosthenes's attempt to measure the size of the Earth. Measure the distance between two arbitrarily distant points, one of which is on the equator, determined by the measurements made in the seasonal observations. The other point should be directly north or south. Erect a tall pole at the location not on the equator. When it is noon on the summer solstice, measure the length of the pole's shadow, and the height of the pole. Use trigonometry to determine the angle of the shadow. Divide 360 degrees by the angle, and multiply the distance between the two points to achieve the circumference of the Earth. Use basic geometry to determine the other three values.
Materials: 1 Researcher, 1 Shovel, 1 Pole, 1 Ruler, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and the Moon.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and its moon.
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Hipparchus 's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and the moon with the Planet and its own moon. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with the math. Use this to value to make estimates as to the size of the moon.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and Cassini.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and the planet I have decided to refer to as Cassini, instead of "not the close one, the one we're on, or the wobbling one, the other one".
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Giovanni Domenico Cassini's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and Mars with the Planet and Cassini. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with a lot of this stuff. Then, use that method to estimate distances between other planetary bodies, including the sun.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Radius of Earth: 6,350 km
Distance to Moon: 542,550 km
Distance to Cassini: 130 million km

These are all estimates, but even as estimates, they broaden our horizons considerably and humble everyone on Earth.

I have a simple hypothesis to put out there, perhaps since liquids appear to be acting more like gas is in this universe, gases might behave more like liquids?

Let's see if gases are still compressible, I'm not quite sure of a method for this though.

The gas compresses.

Measuring the speeds of sound and light:
Give 2 researchers a bell and a flag. Set them up in a field at a relatively long distance. The first researcher rings his bell, and the second one waits to hear it to ring his own 2 seconds later to account for reaction time. The first researcher measures the interval between the moments when he rung his bell and he heard the second one and calculates the speed of sound based on it.
Afterwards, they repeat the same experience with the flags by raising it when waiting and waving it as the signal.
If any signal seems to travel instantly, experiments to measure its speed will be postponed to when we get appropriate material for the experiment.

Doesn't work.

I mean, I don't understand how the two-second delay "compensates for reaction time", but either way you can't detect this sort of thing with a field and a bell.

Try harder.

What is the ground made of? What happens when you create friction by rubbing two pieces of wood together as fast as you can, for as long as you can? What happens when you strike two rocks together? Are there different types of rock you can find? What sort of wood do we know of?

These are all "superficial" things.

Ground? Dirt. Friction? Fire. Rocks? Nothing. Rock collection? Big. Wood? Oh, let's see, oak, maple, such.

Point the telescope at the planet that sort of wobbles in the sky, and watch it for a long time. What does it do, what does it look like?
[/b]

It's a dusty sort of yellowish orange, with something that looks like channels and rivers on it. Clear ice caps can be seen at the top and bottom.

Also we should probably examine some living cells from this universe and see if we can draw any conclusions just from looking at them, obviously fluids behaving differently in this universe will affect the way that cells function overall.

-attempt to dissolve some plant tissue with a strong acid, runs spectroscopy on it? This hopefully should give us some idea of the chemical composition of life on this alternate universe.

Yeah, you actually have strong acids.

The plant tissue dissolves in the acid and the resultant cell goop rather quickly splits into several layers:

• Clear oily layer at the top
• Thin, murky-purple film of semisolid stuff
• Clear yellowish oily layer
• Thick semisolid layer at the bottom

Experiments

Spoiler: Felissan Water Weight Experiment (click to show/hide)

Let's see how water reacts to high pressure, shall we?

The water compresses slightly - the volume goes down by around a fifth.

Spoiler: Immaterial's Simple Refraction Telescope (click to show/hide)

Interesting. I'm assuming that we have telescopes?

Two shaped lenses of glass are used to magnify the heavens.

The magnification achieved is substantial, even at low lengths. Just a few inches of separation gives around 100x.

Spoiler: Immaterial Project: Star Watching (click to show/hide)

Project Proposal: Stars: Do they move in the sky?
Objective: Attempt to determine if stars shift position in the sky over time.
Expected outcome: Understanding the movement of the stars will help us understand if the planet we reside on is fixed in the sky.
Hypothesis: The position of stars will shift over time, eventually returning to an original position.
Method: For a period of 35040 hours (4 years in our world), observe several groups of stars whenever they are most visible, preferably on a nightly basis, if night exists. Record their positions in the sky with a sextant and telescope. At the end of the period, note how or if they shift positions in the night sky.
Materials: 1 Landmark (specifically, large, fixed, and unchanging: ie, a mountaintop or monolith), 1 Telescope, 1 Journal, TBD Pens (quill), TBD Ink Pots, and 1 Sextant.

Almost at the first night, you notice that stars do seem to rise and set over time! A few days and drawings later, you've concluded that the stars don't move relative to each other, and that they rotate with the same period as the sun, aka 24 hours.

(edit)

The locations of the stars are found to vary with the seasons. No change in axial tilt or direction (liberation/precession/nutation) is visible.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Water Refraction (click to show/hide)

OS Test #1- Basic Water Refraction
Aim a laser light an a 45 degree angle to the bottom of a rectangular container with a flat stone bottom, glass sides, and no top. Then fill the container with water, and observe how the point illuminated by the laser moves.

We haven't got lasers, but this can be done with a flashlight.

The beam seems to bend to 33 degrees after hitting the water. This calculator may be relevant for real-world physics.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Biology (click to show/hide)

OS Question #1- Basic Biology
Is there any known natural life in this universe, other than us foreigners? Does plant life exist? Does it exist in similar forms?

We aren't foreigners; we're assuming the position of humans that evolved in this universe. On a superficial level, we appear the same as real world humans, as does most of the flora and fauna.

There's a very common omnivore that looks like a dog with an anteater's snout that inhabits grasslands.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Oil and Water (click to show/hide)

OS Test #2- Oil and Water
Pour water into a glass container, then oil. Observe how the two coexist, then attempt to stir.

The oil sinks below the water; no amount of stirring can merge them.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Temperature and Phase Change (click to show/hide)

OS Test #3- Basic Temperature Study: Boiling/Freezing, and Daily Fluxuations
Fill a glass container with water, provide it a thermometer, then heat it until it boils. At what temperature does it boil, and what phenomena are observable? Do the same, but freezing it instead. Lastly, check what the temperature is in the general air every 15 minutes over a 72 hour period.

At a certain temperature, dubbed "100C", agitated bubbles begin to form throughout the water, which then merge with the air and disappear, reducing the volume of water.

At another temperature, dubbed "0C", the water freezes to ice, which promptly sinks.

Temperature in general air is a superficial similarity.

Spoiler: Madman's Astronomical Survey (click to show/hide)

However, I will ask for that telescope to be used to scan the surface of our moon (We DO have one, right? Otherwise life would be much, MUCH less possible on Earth).

Also...
Set up a skywatching program, figure out if there are any planets/not-stars in the sky. Things that don't move with the background of stars.

We have one moon, an ominous red disk hanging in the sky, maybe 1/4 the size of Real Moon. Telescopic surveys show smooth areas as well as a few craters.

We can see three planets so far. One clearly orbits closer to the Sun, one clearly orbits farther, and another wobbles around a single point in the night sky.

Spoiler: Immaterial's Size Estimates (click to show/hide)

Project Proposal: Estimating the Size of the Planet
Objective: Estimate the diameter, circumference, and volume of the planet.
Expected outcome: Having an estimate of these metrics can help us understand the cosmology of the solar system better.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Eratosthenes's attempt to measure the size of the Earth. Measure the distance between two arbitrarily distant points, one of which is on the equator, determined by the measurements made in the seasonal observations. The other point should be directly north or south. Erect a tall pole at the location not on the equator. When it is noon on the summer solstice, measure the length of the pole's shadow, and the height of the pole. Use trigonometry to determine the angle of the shadow. Divide 360 degrees by the angle, and multiply the distance between the two points to achieve the circumference of the Earth. Use basic geometry to determine the other three values.
Materials: 1 Researcher, 1 Shovel, 1 Pole, 1 Ruler, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and the Moon.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and its moon.
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Hipparchus 's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and the moon with the Planet and its own moon. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with the math. Use this to value to make estimates as to the size of the moon.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and Cassini.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and the planet I have decided to refer to as Cassini, instead of "not the close one, the one we're on, or the wobbling one, the other one".
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Giovanni Domenico Cassini's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and Mars with the Planet and Cassini. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with a lot of this stuff. Then, use that method to estimate distances between other planetary bodies, including the sun.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Radius of Earth: 6,350 km
Distance to Moon: 542,550 km
Distance to Cassini: 130 million km

These are all estimates, but even as estimates, they broaden our horizons considerably and humble everyone on Earth.

Spoiler: Paxiecrunchle's Gas Compression (click to show/hide)

I have a simple hypothesis to put out there, perhaps since liquids appear to be acting more like gas is in this universe, gases might behave more like liquids?

Let's see if gases are still compressible, I'm not quite sure of a method for this though.

The gas compresses.

Spoiler: Felissan Flag Experiment (click to show/hide)

Measuring the speeds of sound and light:
Give 2 researchers a bell and a flag. Set them up in a field at a relatively long distance. The first researcher rings his bell, and the second one waits to hear it to ring his own 2 seconds later to account for reaction time. The first researcher measures the interval between the moments when he rung his bell and he heard the second one and calculates the speed of sound based on it.
Afterwards, they repeat the same experience with the flags by raising it when waiting and waving it as the signal.
If any signal seems to travel instantly, experiments to measure its speed will be postponed to when we get appropriate material for the experiment.

Doesn't work.

I mean, I don't understand how the two-second delay "compensates for reaction time", but either way you can't detect this sort of thing with a field and a bell.

Try harder.

Spoiler: Madman's Telescopic Survey of Cassini (click to show/hide)

Point the telescope at the planet that sort of wobbles in the sky, and watch it for a long time. What does it do, what does it look like?
[/b]

It's a dusty sort of yellowish orange, with something that looks like channels and rivers on it. Clear ice caps can be seen at the top and bottom.

Spoiler: Paxiecrunchle's Plant Tissue Disollution (click to show/hide)

Also we should probably examine some living cells from this universe and see if we can draw any conclusions just from looking at them, obviously fluids behaving differently in this universe will affect the way that cells function overall.

-attempt to dissolve some plant tissue with a strong acid, runs spectroscopy on it? This hopefully should give us some idea of the chemical composition of life on this alternate universe.

Yeah, you actually have strong acids.

The plant tissue dissolves in the acid and the resultant cell goop rather quickly splits into several layers:

• Clear oily layer at the top
• Thin, murky-purple film of semisolid stuff
• Clear yellowish oily layer
• Thick semisolid layer at the bottom

Theories
None so far.

Confidence in Science Percentage: 4.455% (+3.455%)

Confidence in Science is a general measurement of how confident people are that we can explain the natural world. It generally increases 0.5-1% per successful experiment. Raise it enough, and good things happen. After all additions, attrition happens in the form of a multiply by 0.99.


I'll get to everything else later. Hold up, people!

[Madman198237]

The field-and-bell experiment will work, in fact.

Now, 1 rings his bell. 5 seconds later, 2 hears it. Instead of having slow reactions and ringing his bell late, he instead counts to two, and rings HIS bell.

1 hears the second bell, subtracts 2 seconds, and divides by 2. This is now the time required for the sound to travel from one end of the area to the other.

If the given distance was not enough, move backwards and try again. This is !!SCIENCE!!, people. Not some game where you give up if something goes wrong.

[Glass]

Try burning the different parts of the plant that we got dissolved, to see how each one reacts.

[blueturtle1134]

I almost told you that we'd NEVER be able to tell the flag thing....and then I realized that we don't actually know if the speed of light is CONSTANT, let alone if it's faster than sound.

DARN YOU, OVERTHROWING OF THE LAWS OF PHYSICS!

Oh, come on. Even I'm not petty enough to...

Oh wait!

I just got a great idea!

Project Proposal: Estimating the Mass of The Planet
Objective: Estimate the mass of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Having an estimate of this metric can help us understand the geological makeup of our planet, and of others.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Assuming we already know F_grav for an object at sea level and G, the gravitational constant, take the radius of The Planet we derived earlier, and an imaginary 1 kg weight, and plug them into F_grav=G*(m₁+m₂)/d, solving for m₂. Rewritten: m₂ = G * The Planet's radius * F_grav - 1 Kilogram
Materials: 1 Researcher, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: Dirt: But What IS Dirt?
Objective: Attempt to discern the geological composition of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Understanding the geology of The Planet will help us discover new minerals, understand how The Planet works, and inform density calculations.
Hypothesis: That The Planet's geology is relatively uniform in a vertical context.
Method: Have several shafts dug, sloping down as steeply as is safe. Catalogue the recovered minerals for later experimentation.
Materials: 1 Researcher, TBD Research Assistants, TBD Miners, TBD Mining Equipment, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: What's The Planet Made Of?
Objective: Attempt to determine the greater geological composition of The Planet.
Expected outcome: Understanding the general composition of our planet will help us understand the nature of planetary bodies, and could lead to some important realizations about the deeper nature of The Planet.
Hypothesis: That The Planet has a relatively uniform density.
Method: From the previous experiment, weigh the recovered minerals. Measure the volume of the mines they were removed from, and calculate the density. Compare it to the estimated density we can derive from the previously calculated size and mass of the planet.
Materials: TBD Scales (huge), 1 Researcher, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Will be addressed later. PLEASE HOLD!

The field-and-bell experiment will work, in fact.

Now, 1 rings his bell. 5 seconds later, 2 hears it. Instead of having slow reactions and ringing his bell late, he instead counts to two, and rings HIS bell.

1 hears the second bell, subtracts 2 seconds, and divides by 2. This is now the time required for the sound to travel from one end of the area to the other.

If the given distance was not enough, move backwards and try again. This is !!SCIENCE!!, people. Not some game where you give up if something goes wrong.

Ah, now I understand.

You still can't determine anything over the distance the bell can be heard.

Try burning the different parts of the plant that we got dissolved, to see how each one reacts.

Clear oily stuff: After prolonged exposure to heat source, burns with somewhat cloudy flame
Purple fluid: Decreases in volume, wisps of steam come off.
Yellow oily stuff: Doesn’t burn.
Thick goo at bottom: Doesn’t burn.

Experiments

Spoiler: Felissan Water Weight Experiment (click to show/hide)

Let's see how water reacts to high pressure, shall we?

The water compresses slightly - the volume goes down by around a fifth.

Spoiler: Immaterial's Simple Refraction Telescope (click to show/hide)

Interesting. I'm assuming that we have telescopes?

Two shaped lenses of glass are used to magnify the heavens.

The magnification achieved is substantial, even at low lengths. Just a few inches of separation gives around 100x.

Spoiler: Immaterial Project: Star Watching (click to show/hide)

Project Proposal: Stars: Do they move in the sky?
Objective: Attempt to determine if stars shift position in the sky over time.
Expected outcome: Understanding the movement of the stars will help us understand if the planet we reside on is fixed in the sky.
Hypothesis: The position of stars will shift over time, eventually returning to an original position.
Method: For a period of 35040 hours (4 years in our world), observe several groups of stars whenever they are most visible, preferably on a nightly basis, if night exists. Record their positions in the sky with a sextant and telescope. At the end of the period, note how or if they shift positions in the night sky.
Materials: 1 Landmark (specifically, large, fixed, and unchanging: ie, a mountaintop or monolith), 1 Telescope, 1 Journal, TBD Pens (quill), TBD Ink Pots, and 1 Sextant.

Almost at the first night, you notice that stars do seem to rise and set over time! A few days and drawings later, you've concluded that the stars don't move relative to each other, and that they rotate with the same period as the sun, aka 24 hours.

(edit)

The locations of the stars are found to vary with the seasons. No change in axial tilt or direction (liberation/precession/nutation) is visible.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Water Refraction (click to show/hide)

OS Test #1- Basic Water Refraction
Aim a laser light an a 45 degree angle to the bottom of a rectangular container with a flat stone bottom, glass sides, and no top. Then fill the container with water, and observe how the point illuminated by the laser moves.

We haven't got lasers, but this can be done with a flashlight.

The beam seems to bend to 33 degrees after hitting the water. This calculator may be relevant for real-world physics.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Biology (click to show/hide)

OS Question #1- Basic Biology
Is there any known natural life in this universe, other than us foreigners? Does plant life exist? Does it exist in similar forms?

We aren't foreigners; we're assuming the position of humans that evolved in this universe. On a superficial level, we appear the same as real world humans, as does most of the flora and fauna.

There's a very common omnivore that looks like a dog with an anteater's snout that inhabits grasslands.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Oil and Water (click to show/hide)

OS Test #2- Oil and Water
Pour water into a glass container, then oil. Observe how the two coexist, then attempt to stir.

The oil sinks below the water; no amount of stirring can merge them.

Spoiler: OceanSoul Temperature and Phase Change (click to show/hide)

OS Test #3- Basic Temperature Study: Boiling/Freezing, and Daily Fluxuations
Fill a glass container with water, provide it a thermometer, then heat it until it boils. At what temperature does it boil, and what phenomena are observable? Do the same, but freezing it instead. Lastly, check what the temperature is in the general air every 15 minutes over a 72 hour period.

At a certain temperature, dubbed "100C", agitated bubbles begin to form throughout the water, which then merge with the air and disappear, reducing the volume of water.

At another temperature, dubbed "0C", the water freezes to ice, which promptly sinks.

Temperature in general air is a superficial similarity.

Spoiler: Madman's Astronomical Survey (click to show/hide)

However, I will ask for that telescope to be used to scan the surface of our moon (We DO have one, right? Otherwise life would be much, MUCH less possible on Earth).

Also...
Set up a skywatching program, figure out if there are any planets/not-stars in the sky. Things that don't move with the background of stars.

We have one moon, an ominous red disk hanging in the sky, maybe 1/4 the size of Real Moon. Telescopic surveys show smooth areas as well as a few craters.

We can see three planets so far. One clearly orbits closer to the Sun, one clearly orbits farther, and another wobbles around a single point in the night sky.

Spoiler: Immaterial's Size Estimates (click to show/hide)

Project Proposal: Estimating the Size of the Planet
Objective: Estimate the diameter, circumference, and volume of the planet.
Expected outcome: Having an estimate of these metrics can help us understand the cosmology of the solar system better.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Eratosthenes's attempt to measure the size of the Earth. Measure the distance between two arbitrarily distant points, one of which is on the equator, determined by the measurements made in the seasonal observations. The other point should be directly north or south. Erect a tall pole at the location not on the equator. When it is noon on the summer solstice, measure the length of the pole's shadow, and the height of the pole. Use trigonometry to determine the angle of the shadow. Divide 360 degrees by the angle, and multiply the distance between the two points to achieve the circumference of the Earth. Use basic geometry to determine the other three values.
Materials: 1 Researcher, 1 Shovel, 1 Pole, 1 Ruler, 1 Journal, 1 Pen (quill), 1 Ink Pot.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and the Moon.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and its moon.
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Hipparchus 's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and the moon with the Planet and its own moon. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with the math. Use this to value to make estimates as to the size of the moon.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Project Proposal: Estimating the Distance Between the Planet and Cassini.
Objective: Estimate the distance between the planet we reside on and the planet I have decided to refer to as Cassini, instead of "not the close one, the one we're on, or the wobbling one, the other one".
Expected outcome: This number can be used to calculate further astronomical figures.
Hypothesis: N/A
Method: Replicate Giovanni Domenico Cassini's attempt to measure the distance between the Earth and Mars with the Planet and Cassini. I will not relate it here, because I'm not very familiar with a lot of this stuff. Then, use that method to estimate distances between other planetary bodies, including the sun.
Materials: 2 Researcher, 2 Sextants, 2 Journals, 2 Pens (quill), 2 Ink Pots.

Radius of Earth: 6,350 km
Distance to Moon: 542,550 km
Distance to Cassini: 130 million km

These are all estimates, but even as estimates, they broaden our horizons considerably and humble everyone on Earth.

Spoiler: Paxiecrunchle's Gas Compression (click to show/hide)

I have a simple hypothesis to put out there, perhaps since liquids appear to be acting more like gas is in this universe, gases might behave more like liquids?

Let's see if gases are still compressible, I'm not quite sure of a method for this though.

The gas compresses.

Spoiler: Felissan Flag Experiment (click to show/hide)

Measuring the speeds of sound and light:
Give 2 researchers a bell and a flag. Set them up in a field at a relatively long distance. The first researcher rings his bell, and the second one waits to hear it to ring his own 2 seconds later to account for reaction time. The first researcher measures the interval between the moments when he rung his bell and he heard the second one and calculates the speed of sound based on it.
Afterwards, they repeat the same experience with the flags by raising it when waiting and waving it as the signal.
If any signal seems to travel instantly, experiments to measure its speed will be postponed to when we get appropriate material for the experiment.

Doesn't work.

I mean, I don't understand how the two-second delay "compensates for reaction time", but either way you can't detect this sort of thing with a field and a bell.

Try harder.


(addendum)

The field-and-bell experiment will work, in fact.

Now, 1 rings his bell. 5 seconds later, 2 hears it. Instead of having slow reactions and ringing his bell late, he instead counts to two, and rings HIS bell.

1 hears the second bell, subtracts 2 seconds, and divides by 2. This is now the time required for the sound to travel from one end of the area to the other.

If the given distance was not enough, move backwards and try again. This is !!SCIENCE!!, people. Not some game where you give up if something goes wrong.

Ah, now I understand.

You still can't determine anything over the distance the bell can be heard.

Spoiler: Madman's Telescopic Survey of Cassini (click to show/hide)

Point the telescope at the planet that sort of wobbles in the sky, and watch it for a long time. What does it do, what does it look like?
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It's a dusty sort of yellowish orange, with something that looks like channels and rivers on it. Clear ice caps can be seen at the top and bottom.

Spoiler: Paxiecrunchle's Plant Tissue Disollution (click to show/hide)

Also we should probably examine some living cells from this universe and see if we can draw any conclusions just from looking at them, obviously fluids behaving differently in this universe will affect the way that cells function overall.

-attempt to dissolve some plant tissue with a strong acid, runs spectroscopy on it? This hopefully should give us some idea of the chemical composition of life on this alternate universe.

Yeah, you actually have strong acids.

The plant tissue dissolves in the acid and the resultant cell goop rather quickly splits into several layers:

• Clear oily layer at the top
• Thin, murky-purple film of semisolid stuff
• Clear yellowish oily layer
• Thick semisolid layer at the bottom

Spoiler: Glass's Plant Tissue Burning (click to show/hide)

Try burning the different parts of the plant that we got dissolved, to see how each one reacts.

Clear oily stuff: After prolonged exposure to heat source, burns with somewhat cloudy flame
Purple fluid: Decreases in volume, wisps of steam come off.
Yellow oily stuff: Doesn’t burn.
Thick goo at bottom: Doesn’t burn.

Theories
None so far.

Confidence in Science Percentage: 4.905% (+0.45%)

Confidence in Science is a general measurement of how confident people are that we can explain the natural world. It generally increases 0.5-1% per successful experiment. Raise it enough, and good things happen. Once per day, attrition happens in the form of a multiply by 0.99.

[Madman198237]

Do a long-term study of the planet that wobbles in the sky.

Does it EVER leave the nighttime sky? Is it always present? How fast is it moving?


And what point is it wobbling around? Is there anything there?

Ah, crap. Please don't be what I think it might be, please don't be what I think it might be...

[ATHATH]

This kind of reminds me of the Orthogonal Series- basically, the author of the book changed a minus sign in an equation to a plus sign, and looked at the ramifications of that. In addition to all of the science-y stuff, the author also described an interesting alien culture for a non-humanoid race. It's a bit science-heavy, but it's a good read. If nothing else, read it for the fact that the plot revolves around the aforementioned alien race detonating a large natural deposite of explosives under a mountain in order to propel it fast enough to travel near-orthogonally to time so that the researchers on said mountain can research how to save their planet from impending doom and turn said mountain around again so that they can report their findings to the rest of their kind back home (note: this isn't just technobabble- the author does actually explain why this would work with the physics of his book's universe in detail (through characters, of course)).

[My Name is Immaterial]

Will be addressed later. PLEASE HOLD!

For those questions, I was less interested in specific numbers; I'm trying to answer into questions like "Is there a core?"

But I'm holding. I'm very excited to find out why I'm holding, but I'm holding.

[Paxiecrunchle]

 I hypothesize that the purple group produced by melting the plant matter that I found, will be highly flammable because of dissolved gases within it, I'm not quite sure how this can be disproven yet but I would imagine that it would involve a vacuum environment in someway.