Xref: utzoo talk.politics.misc:8245 sci.misc:984
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cca!g-rh
From: g-rh@cca.CCA.COM (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,sci.misc
Subject: Re: The Last Word on Friedman, Sevener, and Cuba
Message-ID: <25626@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: 16 Mar 88 22:43:51 GMT
References: <3405@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <3895@whuts.UUCP> <3588@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <3904@whuts.UUCP> <3699@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <3925@whuts.UUCP>
Reply-To: g-rh@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 34

In article <3925@whuts.UUCP> orb@whuts.UUCP (45263-SEVENER,T.J.) writes:

	... Much material deleted ...

>    I further pointed out that the actual difference in atmospheric
>    pressure between sealevel air and air at 3000 ft is 29.92 inches
>    vs 26.81 inches according to the Encyclopedia of Atmospheric
>    Sciences and Astrogeology(p.781-783).
>    I would argue this is far closer to being a *uniform* medium
>    than a nonuniform medium.

	This is the fundamental error in Mr. Sevener's discussion.
These are the *average*  atmospheric pressures.  Air density varies
quite a bit from average.  The highest and lowest recorded sea level
densities are 31.75 inches are 26.18 inches respectively.  Normal
refraction at sea level is about 1/6 the curvature of the Earth.
In temperature inversions (cold dense air close to the Earth,
hot thin air above the cold layer), the refraction is much greater.
Under unusual conditions at sea an object below the horizon can
actually appear to be floating in the sky (looming).

	IT is quite possible to see things more than 90 miles
away along sea level under the right atmospheric conditions.  However,
as someone else as noted, what one is much more likely to see is an
island cloud bank rather than an island.

	Finally, much of the deleted material is not of scientific
interest, except perhaps to psychiatrists.  Could we leave the personal
flaming to the politics subgroup.
-- 

In the fields of Hell where the grass grows high
Are the graves of dreams allowed to die.
	Richard Harter, SMDS  Inc.