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Whurp wrote:
**3rdly, we have weapons space...a proton cannon and laser cannon are almost exactly the same size as each other, yet protons weigh a full 3 tons more. same with the turret, they have the same base yet 10 more tons is required. the neutron cannon and mass driver, they are 35 and 40 tons!! for cannons i'd think they could be made down to 6 tons.
**
Whurp, let is return to freshman Science class for a second. First of all, you're in space, so things don't weigh anything. I am assuming outfit "weight" is measured in metric tons, so that is how much MASS it has. However, the weight thing is important. When you land, gravity takes effect, and without space limits there might be a very emberassing accident. In space, these ships seem to have artificial gravity or some such thing. Anyway, lets talk about MASS. You say a laser cannon and a proton cannon should weigh the same because they take up the same amount of space (volume), eh? Here is a simple test that I think you can handle: Does a 1x1x1 meter block of lead, on earth, weigh the same as a 1x1x1 meter block of plastic? No. So why the hell should 2 things that take up the same volume weigh the same? They shouldn't. No technical stats are included, but the laser cannon may use aluminum coils or some techno-babble thing like that to produce its burst of light. However, the proton cannon might use focused iron magnets to produce a bolt. Aluminum had less mass per volume than iron the last time I checked...its still true, isn't it?
-Dave
For all you paranoids out there all I edited was a homonym error.
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"Do or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda
(This message has been edited by Dave Lesovoy (edited 04-08-2000).)