| From: | "DEmon, CEO of Hell." <DEMON69@*****.TAMU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | About that teleportation thing... |
| Date: | Thu, 1 Apr 93 13:24:55 CET |
If I'm incorrect on my mage stuff, through a flaming carp and some vodka
my way. My big assumption is that "drain" is the amount of work that
the mage is putting into the spell. (That's engineering "work," as in
energy added to the system with a useful result.)
Now, somewhere back there, Doom or Darkwatch (sorry Oh tall one, can't
remember which one you were at the time) said that when you teleport,
conservation of momentum, etc, occurs. Well, as a mechanical engineering
major, I thought that was a neat idea. Unfortunately, I later realized
that it means you've got a BIG (as in Troll sized) problem if you try
to move uphill. Here's the problem:
Work=W, dÞlta (total change, not incremental),
KE=Kinetic Energy, PE=Potential Energy, U=internal energy
W = dKE + dPE + dU
Now, the Dr. said that kinetic energy is maintained, therefore
dKE=0.
We'll be nice to our mage and not turn him into a popsicle or
a ball of flame by assuming
dU=0.
(Internal energy is mostly thermal in nature. It also includes
bond energies and nuclear forces; however, changes in either of
these usually express themselves as heat.)
So, our first equation simplifies:
W = dPE.
Now here's the problem:
dPE = mg(z2-z1)
where m=mass, g¬celeration due to gravity, z2=final height,
and z1=initial height.
As long as z2<z1 (i.e. downhill movement) the mage will gain
energy, perhaps controllably, and perhaps not. But, he still
hasn't lost anything. Maybe this could be used to offset some
of the drain he's going to take? (And yes, thermodynamics says
there must always be some work done. You can't get more out than
you put in. Therefore, dropping down into the grand canyon from
the rim will gain you some energy, but not nearly as much as
you might like.)
But what if z2>z1 (i.e. uphill)? Well, the mage will suddenly
find himself doing positive work (putting energy into the system)
and his drain code is going to go up fast!
So, don't try teleporting from the ground to the Spindletop.
That could hurt just a wee bit.
As for the "Shape change to light" thingy, I'm going to talk to
a physics major to check on this, but I think it would definitely
solve the energy problem. All you have to do is give up .1 point
of body for every couple of kilometers (cumulative over your life)
beyond the standard drain.
Why????
Because, e=mc^2, that's why. You use some of the energy that makes
up you while in transit, and then you have less mass on arrival.
Like I said, I need to talk to a physics major on that.
Trilo
aka Mike Barrett,
Mechanical Engineering Geek at large.
