Lord of the Rings, rated PGP

[Lalwendë]

Here is but another example of a thread that people love to discuss what they hate, or think is off.

It could be a good one this thread, though, and actually explain why some things might happen in apparent contravention of the laws of science in our world. Of course, as long as you're not like me and you watch experiments involving custard, thus provoking excesive laughter and hence missing the useful explanation....

Sooo...

Here's another: dwarf tossing. No way Aragorn can give Gimli enough initial velocity to get him from the side door to the causeway. Gimli weighs too much.

This might be possible, as I'm sure the heavier an object the more speed it picks up as it is moves; this is to do with the laws of velocity and I don't know the exact theory but I'm sure this is true. This is why an oil tanker takes longer to stop than a fishing boat; the additional weight lends it more velocity.

[Elianna]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

This might be possible, as I'm sure the heavier an object the more speed it picks up as it is moves; this is to do with the laws of velocity and I don't know the exact theory but I'm sure this is true. This is why an oil tanker takes longer to stop than a fishing boat; the additional weight lends it more velocity.

Actually, if an object is free-fall, the only force acting on it is gravity, which is always a constent: 9.81 m/s sq. All objects fall at the same speed, no matter what their weight is. A heavier object (like the oiltanker) picks up more momentum as it accelerates. Momentum does have to do with velocity and with mass of an object. I misspoke when I said the problem with dwarf-tossing was Gimli's wieght; the real problem is that Aragorn isn't strong enough to give Gimli the initial velocity he appears to be travel with. (But that he lacks the stength has to do with Gimli's weight.) It'll take me a while to spit out some numbers.

[Lalwendë]

Elianna - are you a proper scientist? Unlike me who tinkers around the edges of cosmology and watches food-stuff experiments?

I Understand though now - so to shift an object which is heavier, there needs to be more force behind it? So, would this mean say, a cave troll would fire an arrow further than an Elf, being that you have to have a fair amount of strength to use a bow and arrow?

[Encaitare]

-the mystery of Gandalf and Saruman on top of Orthanc, how the bloody did they get there? Tolkien never stated that they had teleporting powers, or flying powers, anything like that, they were just guides to stop Sauron, no magic mumbo-jumbo...

Perchance they took the stairs.

[Boromir88]

Perchance they took the stairs.

Ahh, but you still need a trap door, wouldn't you? So there must have been this little trap door.

[Gil-Galad]

but if you look in the movies, the top of the tower has no stairs going up to it, thats what i mean

[Boromir88]

So let me get this straight. Haldir barrowed Scotty's transporter beam to get from Lorien to Rohan. Then Saruman barrowed it to get him and Gandalf on top of Orthanc. No wait...it would be the other way around. Saruman barrowed it from Scotty, Haldir barrowed it from Saruman...now I'm just confused...

Or maybe, to add a bit of physics, when Gandalf hit face first into ceilling of Orthanc, he went flying right through the ceilling?

[Lalwendë]

It might have been whatever technique they used on Rentaghost where Timothy Claypole used to materialise through walls and then laugh maniacally.

[Elianna]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Elianna - are you a proper scientist?

Nah, just a kid who just had a physics project in which I used these examples.

I Understand though now - so to shift an object which is heavier, there needs to be more force behind it?

Right.

So, would this mean say, a cave troll would fire an arrow further than an Elf, being that you have to have a fair amount of strength to use a bow and arrow?

Well, with an arrow, since that has to do with the bow's strength, it wouldn't matter if it's an elf or troll. Now, if they were throwing a rock...that's a different story.

Originally Posted by Nimrodel_9

I guess Arry is very VERY strong.

*shakes head at PJ* Must be...

[Rumil]

If you read the Silmarillion, you'll find out that Middle Earth's sun and moon were derived from fruit, possibly a minor physical flaw?

PS. Rentaghost ! There must be someone here nearly as old as me!

[Lalwendë]

Nah, just a kid who just had a physics project in which I used these examples.

You know, you youngsters just put me to shame! You know so much stuff! I couldn't cope with too much more than all those Hobbits dancing around in my head - where do you find the time? *impressed*

PS. Rentaghost ! There must be someone here nearly as old as me!

'Twas my favourite show - Mrs Popov, MacWitch etc., which one always failed to do the materialising properly though?

I was just thinking about Shelob and Ungoliant. I heard once that spiders can only get to a certain size (about as big as a small plate), biologically speaking, and then the genetic composition of their bodies would make them unable to get any bigger, or their skeletons would simply collapse under the weight.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

'Twas my favourite show - Mrs Popov, MacWitch etc., which one always failed to do the materialising properly though?

Wasn't that Timothy Claypole? Or perhaps Mr Davenport? I must watch my Rentaghost video again sometime. Ah, the nostalgia of tea-time children's television ...

Sorry. Blatantly off-topic for a moment there.

... or their skeletons would simply collapse under the weight.

Don't you mean that they would be crushed under the weight of their exoskeletons?

Isn't there some law of physics to the effect that any creature above a certain weight would be too heavy to fly. That would put paid to Dragons, Fell Beasts, Giant Eagles and (*ahem*) winged Balrogs. I realise that there were some pretty huge Pterosaurs around in prehistoric times, but I believe that they had hollow bones and were incredibly fragile. I can't imagine Dragons and Balrogs having hollow bones, and Dragons' scales must have been pretty hefty to afford such protection. And the Fell Beasts had to carry Ringwraiths (although, as they were dead, perhaps there weight was negligible).

In any event, I believe that Thorondor was supposed to be the size of a Lancaster Bomber. I can't see a creature that size flying without some kind of artificial thrust. He might be able to take off from the mountains, but if he ever made landfall, he could be in trouble ...

Then again, I am far from being a physicist. My worst subject at school by some margin ...