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From: cipher@mmm.UUCP (Andre Guirard)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle,net.sci
Subject: A heavy problem (results)
Message-ID: <1033@mmm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Aug-86 10:33:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: mmm.1033
Posted: Fri Aug  1 10:33:40 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Aug-86 02:23:17 EDT
Reply-To: cipher@mmm.UUCP (Andre Guirard)
Organization: 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Lines: 61
Xref: watmath net.puzzle:1921 net.sci:1437


This is the promised posting of the results of my question, what things
would tend to be taller and thinner under higher gravity?

I received several different answers.  I discussed them with a
physicist at the University of Minnesota to decide which were correct.

From mlf@genrad: tornadoes.
From jacob@renoir.berkeley.edu (Jacob Butch): clouds.

	Says the expert: Clouds, tornadoes and other atmospheric
	phenomena would tend to be compressed under higher gravity.

From dopey@ihlpl: a helium balloon.

	I thought this was a good answer, but the expert says the
	shape of a helium balloon would not change noticeably.  The
	air outside and the gas inside would have the same pressure
	relative to each other regardless of amount of gravity.

From melissa@TRILLIAN.ARPA and jcs@hocad: stalactites, icicles.

	Length of icicles, quoth the raven, is determined by atmospheric
	conditions rather than gravity.  Stalactites are a possibility,
	but on reflection I think they would _not_ be longer because
	(a) cave ceilings would be lower and (b) water would run off
	of them faster, leaving less time for minerals to deposit.
	In any case, the problem asked for what would be _taller_, and
	stalactites and icicles don't have "tallness," onlt length.

From ado@sie and fulton@emory: Waterfalls (and other falling things)

	I don't need the raven for this one.  The height of waterfalls
	and similar phenomena is determined by the height of what they
	fall from.  Features of the landscape would tend to be lower
	under higher gravity.

From herb@uwvax (Benington Herb): Pendulums.

	It's hard to say, because pendulums are man-made, but to get
	the same frequency under higher gravity you need a shorter
	pendulum.

My own answer: a flame.

	I figured that since a flame is spherical under zero-gee,
	that the greater the gravity the taller it would get.  The
	raven expresses serious doubts about this idea, and says
	in his opinion it would be the same height.

In fact, the raven says he can't think of _anything_ that would be
taller and thinner under higher gravity.  If anyone can think of
something, or can refute the raven on some point, I'd be happy to hear
of it.
-- 
===+===                                         Andre Guirard
 /@ @\                                          ihnp4!mmm!cipher
/_____\
( @ @ )    My mission: to explore strange new words.
 \ _ /     To seek out and utilize new applications.
  `-'      To shovel snow that snow plows have shoved before.