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From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Teleportation and the olde fisicks
Message-ID: <2979@drutx.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 8-Jun-85 18:26:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: drutx.2979
Posted: Sat Jun  8 18:26:10 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Jun-85 03:38:16 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 49

> 
>        Also,  If you are falling at a velocity of say 15m/sec and you 
>     teleport back to your castle are you going to be mashed into the 
>     floor??  If so & if you teleported so you "landed" up-side-down 
>     would you go flying up into the air??  If you were visiting a 
>     planet that was revolving faster then good old Greyhawlk and 
>     then teleported back would you go skipping along the ground at 
>     a few hundred km/hr?? What happens to the air that is displaced 
>     then you teleport in?? Would you make a small thunder-clap when
>     you teleport away?? 
> 
> 
>                                            Brad Harrington
>                                      {ihnp4,sun,ucbvax}!dual!brad
>                                 {ihnp4,sun,ucbvax}!dual!vanguard!brad

For an excellent discussion of these and other issues, see Larry Niven's
essay in _All the Myriad Ways_ titled "Exercise in Speculation:  The 
Theory and Practice of Teleportation".  He has an essay on time travel
in the same book and with the same sort of conclusions:  "It isn't possible 
for these and other reasons--but its a lot of fun to play around with anyway".
(Not a direct quote--just the sense of his conclusions.)

(While you're at it catch "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex".  Your reactions
on watching Superman II may never be the same.)

I suppose I personally would ignore the conservation laws in some cases,
such as travels between planets.  (As Niven mentions, there are problems
even between different longitudes on the same planet.)  However, if the
character were falling when s/he teleported, I would assume s/he is
falling at arrival, also.  (They can't get out of it that easily!)

A thunderclap sounds good.  Any magic user would love to create an effect
like that.  How about a pulsating fushia light about the teleporter before
the big event?
-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     
Real World: Room 1B17                Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
            AT&T Information Systems
            11900 North Pecos
            Westminster, Co. 80234
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