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From: msj@gitpyr.UUCP (Mike St. Johns)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Discrepancies (Dune and Ringworld)
Message-ID: <487@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 23-Jun-85 22:47:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.487
Posted: Sun Jun 23 22:47:41 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Jun-85 15:52:00 EDT
References: <2039@iddic.UUCP> <483@gitpyr.UUCP> <389@ttidcb.UUCP>
Reply-To: msj@gitpyr.UUCP (Mike St. Johns)
Distribution: na
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 47
Summary: 

In article <389@ttidcb.UUCP> guzman@ttidcb.UUCP (Marc Guzman) writes:
>In article <483@gitpyr.UUCP> msj@gitpyr.UUCP (Mike St. Johns) writes:
>>In article <2039@iddic.UUCP> rick@iddic.UUCP (Rick Coates) writes:
>>>Here are a couple of discrepancies (one large, one small) that I have
>>>run across lately:
>>>
>>>Dune:
>>>
>>>Stillsuits wouldn't work.  As I read it, the idea behind a stillsuit is
>>>that it allows cooling by evaporation while trapping the moisture. 
>>>Thermodynamics does not allow this.  Any cooling action gained by the
>>>evaporation inside the suit would be offset by the condensation process.
>>>
>>>The net result would be a steam box that would be hot on a cold day with
>>>any insolation at all.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Sorry to disabuse you, but all Thermodynamics says is that you can't get
>>something for nothing.  If you recall, the description of the stillsuit
>>includes some form of "pump" which operates as the wearer walks.  This
>>provides the necessary "work" to circulate fluid.  A refrigerator works well
>>just by circulating fluid.  I haven't done any calculations, but on the
>>surface a stillsuit should be feasible.  Mike
>>-- 
>
>I too, felt that stillsuits would not work, and having read _Dune_ a long
>time ago I don't remember what powered them. But, if the above description
>is accurate, then the stillsuits definately can't work. The "engines" for
>the "pump" are obviously human muscles which will generate heat.
>And because, as we all know "... 2) You can't break even ...", the wearer
>will produce more heat than they can remove; resulting in "friedman"
>(boiled might be more accurate).
>
>			Marc  


(Sorry for including the whole thing, but its still relevant)

So you are claiming that fanning yourself on a warm day produces no cooling
and actually results in a rise in body temperature?  I.e. you would be cooler
if you did nothing?  Mike
-- 
Mike St. Johns
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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