Technology gap between WC 3 and WCP

Ah, could we have that in metric please? In any case, 500kps seems to slow compared to light for any real effect.

Or maybe that could explain autopilot. The faster one goes, the slower time passes! :)
 
As in metres? So my memory wasn't so rusty after all. But I didn't think light changes speed - and how did they calculate that figure, anyway?
 
Light, like all waves, are affected by the medium they travel through. The speed in a particulat medium is gotten from dividing the speed of light in a vacuum by the rareflection index for the medium in question. The Spees "c" itself was determined by accident. When they were trying to create a natural standard for the meter, they decided to see how long it took light to travel the distance of a meter stick. The result was that light takes 1/299792458 of a second to travel 1 meter. Simple math then gives you how many meters are traveled in a second, and there's your speed of light (in a vacuum).
 
'Simple', yeah right! :)

How could anyone manage to time how long it takes for light to travel one metre anyway? I'm thinking they did this calculation a while ago, or was actually quite recent?
 
It IS a measurable thing, but i think only since the beginning of the 20th century had they known what it acutally was. Back then they still thought there was an "ether" that permeated everything.
 
I believe the proper definition of a 'metre' is 1650763.73 wavelengths of the light emitted by the isotope krypton 86.

At least its simpler than the imperial system :)
 
What, the measurement or the metre? :)

No, really, I can understand how hard it can be to change from the old imperial system especially if you were brought up with it, but metric is so much more logical - at least to humans - with its base 10 counting system.

Before we left England, I believe they were still measuring in pounds and ounces at the supermarket, and if my mum can adjust to metric, then anybody can! :)
 
YPR in WC1/2

Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
Hmm, I seem to recall having gotten fairly sensible figures -- although I can't really find them anywhere. :) When I do, I'll try taking the measurements again on this computer and see what I get...
Click to expand...
So, how have you been doing in that department? Of course, I know you've got several other things to do, such as digging out the genuine original Prophecy script and completing the encyclopaedia. :)
 
I haven't made the measurements yet.

Although I think I'm about one phonecall away from getting the Prophecy script online <G>
 
Nope <G> I actually talked to Mark Day about the script last night, and I'm supposed to call someone else as soon as possible...
 
Originally posted by Bandit LOAF
Although I think I'm about one phonecall away from getting the Prophecy script online <G>
Click to expand...
Whoa...! That's the best news I've heard all day! :)
 
The meter *was* 1,650,763.73 wavelegths of krypton light, but that changed in October 1983 with the new standard.


This all depends on time, and the standard for a second is 9,192,631,770 periods of cesium-133 raditaion. :)

[Edited by Meson on 04-05-2001 at 03:15]
 
While we're on the subject of measurements and the
speed of light -- can someone tell me why the Stormfire
in WCP has a faster velocity than the laser?

That means that the stormfire shells are FTL!! Was that
deliberate? I thought FTL in conventional space was
impossible in the WC universe!

Respectfully,

Brian P.
 
Because the lasers don't travel at the speed of light -- they travel at a speed significantly slower than light, in order to inflict damage.
 
Maybe because they're...not lasers?

Although I couldn't tell you without consulting a manual, the lasers used in the games might not be a true laser. Perhaps it's just a laser-amplified particle beam, or a laser decelerated (by what means, I couldn't tell you. How do they decelerate Tachyon beams?).

Since I'm not an expert on Wing Commander, only a slightly more than casual fan, all I can do is give you an example from what I DO know: Know those "lasers" in Star Wars? Those aren't lasers. Those are actually an energy beam given off when a laser strikes a certain type of gas. The result is more powerful than a laser, with the additional bonus of being a "tracer bullet" or an illuminated beam so you can track your stream of fire. Maybe that's what the WC lasers are, too.
 
Today, we have energy and we have mass, which Albert Einstein formed together in his formula E = m * c*c

It might well be possible that the Guns of WC are something inbetween. As we all know, WC weapons only consume energy without requiering any munitions (apart from the stormfire, of course but that's a different story) Maybe energy is transformed to mass, thus decelerating much and getting incredible destructive power...

Isn't it funny to try to explain everything? In fact none of the WC guns would make sense in the real world (apart from the SF, of course)
 
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