The discussion revolves around the mechanics of O'Neill cylinder worlds and the concept of using rotation to simulate gravity. Participants explore the forces at play when an object interacts with the rotating environment of the cylinder, considering scenarios involving jumping and movement within the cylinder.
Participants express differing views on the mechanics of force and motion within the rotating cylinder, with no consensus reached on the specifics of how gravity is simulated or the implications of jumping and movement.
Participants acknowledge the influence of air currents and the complexities of motion in a rotating frame, but these factors remain unresolved in terms of their impact on the simulation of gravity.
Air, or vacuum, doesn't matter. You would "fall" back to the surface in either case. With air though there may be some air currents, or wind, if you prefer, but any such effect upon the imitation gravity would not be taking that into account, just as much one does not consider the minimal effects of air currents on earth.darthsasquatch said:Im doing some research on ONiel cylinder worlds and the use of rotation to imitate gravity. My question is, if you jump in a ONiel cylinder (full of air) is it just the rotating air which exerts force to bring you back to the inner surface? Expecting the cylinder has too little mass to create Earth like gravity.
Thank you for responding. I am unclear of the mechanics, so just by placing a rotating cylinder around an object floating in space, that object would be attracted to the surface? Where does the force come from?256bits said:Air, or vacuum, doesn't matter. You would "fall" back to the surface in either case.
No, that will not work.darthsasquatch said:Thank you for responding. I am unclear of the mechanics, so just by placing a rotating cylinder around an object floating in space, that object would be attracted to the surface? Where does the force come from?
256bits said:No, that will not work.
Basically, all objects on the cylinder surface travel at the same velocity. If you jump, that velocity stays with you.
Yes, running against the spin will reduce the apparent gravity, and when it's down to zero you can just hover (ignoring the effect of air).darthsasquatch said:So if a person could momentarly negate the cylinders spin, say by jumping against its rotation, they could "hover" over the rotating surface?
A.T. said:Yes, running against the spin will reduce the apparent gravity, and when it's down to zero you can just hover (ignoring the effect of air).