Star Wars fake physics is an explosion

I’m huge Star Wars fan. I grew up because the first movie (no, not episode 1) came out when I was younger Millennium Falcon Lightsabers. Perhaps it sparked my interest in science. Even if it’s not exactly science fiction. oh, there is A good way to start a nerd fight: is Star Wars “science fiction” or “space fantasy”?

Either way, you have to admit that there can be it there Look Like science. So whenever you deal with things in space, it’s an opportunity to talk about science. Today is Star Wars Day, so that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I hope the fourth will be with you!

Isn’t the scientific thing about Star Wars scientific? I’ll look into some of the more interesting ideas, but don’t get me wrong. I use these errors as a way to talk about science, but I don’t think there’s any need to fix them. A more realistic Star Wars is probably boring. Continuing, you will see what I mean.

The sound of the universe

The opening scene Star Wars It shows a giant star destroyer pursuing a small rebel ship. You hear the engine rumble and it gives you the impression of a powerful container. Unfortunately, that is not possible.

Let’s think about the sound a bit. Suppose you tap a coffee mug sideways with a spoon. I hear a lovely little plink. This is because the taps vibrate the ceramic material back and forth, pushing it into the air around it to compress it. This compressed air will push other nearby air when it expands. The entire process produces pressure waves, which we call sound.

Is it possible to have airless sound waves? of course. No air is needed, but it is necessary something For pressure waves to pass. This could be a solid or water, or in fact, a part with a lower pressure, which could be applied to a higher pressure. Sound waves require some kind of medium. There’s nothing in the space.

Well, it’s not Completely truth. There are charged particles, such as protons and electrons, that move through space. It’s a compromise between solar winds and debris from exploding stars. There is also dust in the solar system. Still, the density of this “gas” is so small that it can hardly be measured. It’s too low to send sound.

So why do MovieMakers place sounds blank? Well, most of us weren’t in space, so when things hit quietly it looks wrong. The sound of that giant star destroyer reminds us of a large marine ship passing by.

How do you manipulate this?

One of the big ideas in physics is that forces change the movement of objects. Applying a constant continuous force to an object means there is no counterforce like wind drag. Continued Speed ​​up forever.

Calls this Newton’s second law. It functions with multiple forces on an object by replacing it with a single force called net force, as shown below. here m The mass of a spaceship a That acceleration.