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Storm
Draconis Combine
Chu-i
Joined: 06-Feb-2002 00:00
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 Posted: 30-Jun-2011 00:02 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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I've been toying with the idea of a new weapon, but I have a physics question for the scientifically-minded out there:
Say you took 1 rotten tomato, enveloped it in a spherical force field, then collapsed the field to the size of a BB (.177 inches in diameter, if you really want to know).
Then you shut off the field.
What would happen:
A) As the tomato is compressed when the field is collapsed?
B) As the tomato expands when the field is shut off?
C) Would it still be a tomato?
D)How fast would the tomato expand?
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Storm  "The More that thou sweatest and swearest in training, the less thou bleedest and diest in combat."--Dick Marcinko
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chihawk
Clan Blood Spirit
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| Posted: 30-Jun-2011 19:24 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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You actually have to determine if a tomato is compressible or not...
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Storm
Draconis Combine
Chu-i
Joined: 06-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 30-Jun-2011 22:25 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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Let's assume that it is.
Then what?
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Storm "The More that thou sweatest and swearest in training, the less thou bleedest and diest in combat."--Dick Marcinko
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
Tai-i
Joined: 06-Apr-2005 00:00
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Location: Czech Republic
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| Posted: 01-Jul-2011 13:50 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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Well, normally only gases are compressible. A tomato would require a change of density to change it's volume. How could the density be changed without changes on molecular/atom/nuclear basis I can't imagine.
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chihawk
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| Posted: 01-Jul-2011 15:43 Post subject: Re: A Physics Question |
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| Storm wrote: | Let's assume that it is.
Then what? |
Likely, nothing.
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Storm
Draconis Combine
Chu-i
Joined: 06-Feb-2002 00:00
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| Posted: 03-Jul-2011 01:58 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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I think that compressing it would make it smaller physically, but not lighter or less dense. I think it would actually be more dense.
So when the field is shut off, let's assume the tomato expands.
How fast would it expand?
Would it be compressed into plasma and explode upon expansion?
How much damage would it do?
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Storm "The More that thou sweatest and swearest in training, the less thou bleedest and diest in combat."--Dick Marcinko
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Sleeping Dragon
Draconis Combine
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| Posted: 03-Jul-2011 07:09 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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I said densiti change. with compression it would for sure be more dense. How do you make denser things that are solid? Well, you have to rearrange the molecules (more likely as this is an object built from water and organic substances - long C-H chains with some additions-so there probably is some possibility for this) or you'd need to change the atmos themselves, fusing them to heavier elements. Now the "field" you have there. Didi it conserve energy in the system? If not then the tomato probably radiated excess heat around and it wont expand. If yes then it won't expand either, but it will probably be a lot hotter and stored enery will be released at once in some kind of spherical pulse, probably in form of heat mostly (IR radiation), maybe some light if the tomato was hot enough.
Plasma is not a thing that you'd get by compression IMO unless you press enought o start molecuar and atomic changes. Plasma i a mess made of free electrons dissociated from the atomic cores and the cores of course. It has enough energy in it to prevent the electrons from being attracted back to the cores, but unless somehow supported it radiates that enegy away and returns back to atomic state.
Of course this is a half-educated guess as I was never into physics a lot.
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Storm
Draconis Combine
Chu-i
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| Posted: 03-Jul-2011 10:07 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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That's what I was after: an answer that was mostly over my head!
Let's say nothing can get through the field, so all the energy is stored inside, until the field shuts down, then it's released.
Boom?
I dunno. My physics class consisted of questions like "If a man comes to a stop on a frictionless surface, how can he get moving again?"
To which I answered, "If it's a frictionless surface, how did he come to a stop in the first place?"
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Sleeping Dragon
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| Posted: 04-Jul-2011 16:24 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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If the matter was itself turned to energy then it could get interesting, but I guess you wouldn't get much more than a photograph flash here.
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Storm
Draconis Combine
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| Posted: 06-Jul-2011 20:42 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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Rats. I was hoping a tomato expanding at the speed of light would either do massive damage or at least make a really big splat.
I thought compressing it would at least make it give off heat for some reason.
Storm, typing with a 6-month old keyboard grabber in his lap.
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Storm "The More that thou sweatest and swearest in training, the less thou bleedest and diest in combat."--Dick Marcinko
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Vagabond
Mercenary
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| Posted: 13-Jul-2011 08:32 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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you would have to compress the object to a far, far, far smaller size then a BB to get any significant reaction. You'll MIGHT get a pop if the H2O in the object flash steams from the sudden compression and release. Assuming the field collapsed immediately after compression.
We tend to greatly under estimate the space between particles so the compression mentioned would cause no great amount of energy release via particle interaction. Also given the relatively low volatility of the material make up of a Tomato your are unlikely to get a significant return through chemical reactions either.
At the very least, if you add sugar you have Ketchup.
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Storm
Draconis Combine
Chu-i
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| Posted: 13-Jul-2011 17:42 Post subject: A Physics Question |
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Well, at least it would make a fun splat!
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Storm "The More that thou sweatest and swearest in training, the less thou bleedest and diest in combat."--Dick Marcinko
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