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From: ry@brunix.UUCP (Rich Yampell)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Re: Why have a transporter room?
Message-ID: <10558@brunix.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-May-85 04:22:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: brunix.10558
Posted: Wed May  8 04:22:21 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Jun-85 05:19:32 EDT
References: <429@ihu1e.UUCP> <4640@Shasta.ARPA> <374@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> <1646@sunybcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: ry@nancy.UUCP (Rich Yampell)
Organization: Brown University Computer Science
Lines: 35

In article <1646@sunybcs.UUCP> ugzannin@sunybcs.UUCP (Adrian Zannin) writes:
>>    The question also arises ...." how are the coordinates arrived at? "

>   I would think that they would use the Enterprise (actually some point in
>the transparter chamber) as the point (0,0,0).  If you go by the asumption
>that all of space is mapped, that would mean that they couldn't use the 
>transporter in regions of space that have never been charted before.
>Anyone agree/disagree?
>

On the other hand, if they used the enterprise, or some point therein,
as (0,0,0), then the coordinate of any given beam-down point is constantly
changing as the enterprise moves.  That would mean, for example, that you
could only beam down to a planet if the ship were in a perfectly
synchronized orbit, or some such thing.

Off the top of my head, I suggest another alternative (there are always
alternatives).  Perhaps (0,0,0) is selected for any given context by a set
of standard conventions.  For example, while orbiting a planet, the exact
center of the planet is chosen as (0,0,0).  In other words, pick something
which is *relatively* stable vis-a-vis position, and make that (0,0,0).
That would explain the difficulties in intra-ship beaming, since if the ship
is both source and destination, and is moving at high speed, there is no
relatively stable reference point.  And then, in retort to any attempts to
say that they could compensate since they know how fast they are going, or
some such thing, I would answer, "yeah, but that's a special case, and when
the starfleet hackers put together the programs for the transporter, they
never thought of it, so you have to take your chances with the existing code
and hope it gets it right (the chances of which are vastly improved if the
camera is watching; even though its supposed to be dangerous, we've never
actually seen it fail)"

			rich yampell