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[miauw62]

Pure genius.

[MonkeyHead]

I happily admit that my teaching is a bit trollish like that. Each lecture tends to start with 15 mins about the history of the people and places involved ("Did you know Tycho Brahe dies when his bladder burst during a banquet?"), 15 mins of actual physics ("Orbital period squared is proportional to semi major axis cubed"), 15 mins of  serious problem solving ("Now calculate the orbital velocity of the Earth please"), 15 mins of stupid problems ("Lets apply Keplers Laws to the Death Star") and then 30 mins of random nonsence that may or may not be connected to Physics in any way, shape or form.

[Vorthon]

Dammit, now I want to see if the Death Star would actually be stable or collapse under its own weight.

[penguinofhonor]

They still produce copies of the original 1959 Risk, with the wooden cubes and everything. It's by far the best version and I want one.

[10ebbor10]

Dammit, now I want to see if the Death Star would actually be stable or collapse under its own weight.

Yes, it should be stable. A nation that can construct antigravity systems. (The hover systems used in the Clone wars, and everywhere else are antigrav) and a laser capable of vaporizing planets can manipulate gravity well enough. It's also quite hard to let something collapse under it's own weight in space.

[Vorthon]

I'm not counting the prequel trilogy. That whole midochlorian thing ruined it for me. I prefer Jedi as 'Space Wizards with Laser Swords' as opposed 'Freaks with an unusually high number of psychic microbes living inside them'.

[kaijyuu]

Eh. It's a rather irrelevant distinction.

The midochlorian thing is obviously referencing mitochondria, which are actual, real, power giving microbes in your cells. Won't give you magical powers, but they do give you power filled chemicals for all those nifty reactions your cells need.

I guess they just wanted to be more Sci Fi and less Space Buddhism.

[MonkeyHead]

Things I have determined with my students about the Death Star in class:

• Minimum power needed to run its laser/destroy a planet assuming stimulated emission events
• Minimum power required to keep the atmosphere at a livable temperature assuming air at STP
• Estimations of mass, orbital velocity and period in orbit of Endor using orbital dynamics
• Determination of barycentre between Death Star and Endor
• Escape velocity of Death Star
• Kinematics and dynamics of a typical X-Wing during a trench run
• Estimation of mass/radius/surface area of Death Star based on apparent value of "g"
• Estimation of black body specrum of the Death Star
• Determination of density of material used to make Death Star (subtracting the air, of course)
• Calculation of number of elecrons emitted by illuminated hemisphere via photoelectric effect, and current flow as a result, leading into estimating PD between points, and electrical resistance of Death Star

There are probably others I have forgotten or not got saved around here somewhere...

[Scelly9]

*Packs bags for MonkeyHead's class*

Sounds very awesome.

[MonkeyHead]

Starting the 5th of September, a bit later than usual. All welcome. Bring a calculator. I also take requests.

[kaijyuu]

D'aww

[Vorthon]

Things I have determined with my students about the Death Star in class:

• Minimum power needed to run its laser/destroy a planet assuming stimulated emission events
• Minimum power required to keep the atmosphere at a livable temperature assuming air at STP
• Estimations of mass, orbital velocity and period in orbit of Endor using orbital dynamics
• Determination of barycentre between Death Star and Endor
• Escape velocity of Death Star
• Kinematics and dynamics of a typical X-Wing during a trench run
• Estimation of mass/radius/surface area of Death Star based on apparent value of "g"
• Estimation of black body specrum of the Death Star
• Determination of density of material used to make Death Star (subtracting the air, of course)
• Calculation of number of elecrons emitted by illuminated hemisphere via photoelectric effect, and current flow as a result, leading into estimating PD between points, and electrical resistance of Death Star

There are probably others I have forgotten or not got saved around here somewhere...

... I'd really like to see those numbers.

[DarkWolfXV]

Guys, i have a question, i saw in "How would you explain things to medieval people" thread thing called SCP 231-7
Whats that?

[Jopax]

Your answer awaits you here.

[Scelly9]

Guys, i have a question, i saw in "How would you explain things to medieval people" thread thing called SCP 231-7
Whats that?

http://www.scp-wiki.net/