4 ms·

What would happen if you had a golf ball that doubled in density once an hour?

68 points by georgecmu 8y ago

tomatotomato37 8y ago
>9PM: Our golf ball weighs about as much as a blue whale. It is now super-mammalian. >10PM: It weighs more than the Space Shuttle maximum payload. >11PM: It weighs more than the Space Station >12AM: It weighs more than the Space Shuttle with payload. I don't know what's more interesting, that the space shuttle can boost a blue whale into orbit or that we could boost the mass equivalent of the ISS station into orbit with one launch
bobx11 8y ago
That was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be, if you’re on the fence about reading it. It puts those mass levels into perspective.
lwansbrough 8y ago
> 8am, so dense you can’t pick it up. Speak for yourself bro. flexes noodley web developer arm These kinds of questions are fun. Very much in the spirit of XKCD’s “what if?” series.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
jobigoud 8y ago
I was surprised by the time it takes to go from neutron star to black hole...
ramblerman 8y ago
Good read, but I'm a little suspicious of these questions being 'asked and answered' by the same person.
diffeomorphism 8y ago
> Gravity is now 50% stronger than normal. Running is nearly impossible and many people can’t walk. Nothing can fly, including all airplanes. That seems quite surprising. This says that no airplane can lift more than half its own empty weight? For baloons and zeppelins I guess that sounds reasonable, but cargo planes or jets should be able to lift more, right? Also, at that point air density should be effected, which should give more lift.
- dTal 8y ago
  You are correct. Nearly all aircraft are structurally capable of withstanding 2g maneuvers[1]. This doesn't automatically imply sustained flight, as the induced drag from the high angle of attack may eventually overwhelm a marginal powerplant, but pretty much any aerobatic, commercial, or military craft should be perfectly capable of flight. The density increase will increase lift, yes, but also drag which is the main enemy. Wings are more efficient at lower angles of attack, so that will improve. The other types of drag will mostly cancel out. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_factor_(aeronautics)#Design_standards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_factor_(aeronautics)#Desi...
  - unstatusthequo 8y ago
    Yeah though some long flights woods take off and any flight over an hour might never arrive
bzudo 8y ago
Fore!

68 points by georgecmu 8y ago

>9PM: Our golf ball weighs about as much as a blue whale. It is now super-mammalian. >10PM: It weighs more than the Space Shuttle maximum payload. >11PM: It weighs more than the Space Station >12AM: It weighs more than the Space Shuttle with payload. I don't know what's more interesting, that the space shuttle can boost a blue whale into orbit or that we could boost the mass equivalent of the ISS station into orbit with one launch

bobx11 8y ago

That was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be, if you’re on the fence about reading it. It puts those mass levels into perspective.

lwansbrough 8y ago

> 8am, so dense you can’t pick it up. Speak for yourself bro. flexes noodley web developer arm These kinds of questions are fun. Very much in the spirit of XKCD’s “what if?” series.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

jobigoud 8y ago

I was surprised by the time it takes to go from neutron star to black hole...

ramblerman 8y ago

Good read, but I'm a little suspicious of these questions being 'asked and answered' by the same person.

diffeomorphism 8y ago

> Gravity is now 50% stronger than normal. Running is nearly impossible and many people can’t walk. Nothing can fly, including all airplanes. That seems quite surprising. This says that no airplane can lift more than half its own empty weight? For baloons and zeppelins I guess that sounds reasonable, but cargo planes or jets should be able to lift more, right? Also, at that point air density should be effected, which should give more lift.

dTal 8y ago
You are correct. Nearly all aircraft are structurally capable of withstanding 2g maneuvers[1]. This doesn't automatically imply sustained flight, as the induced drag from the high angle of attack may eventually overwhelm a marginal powerplant, but pretty much any aerobatic, commercial, or military craft should be perfectly capable of flight. The density increase will increase lift, yes, but also drag which is the main enemy. Wings are more efficient at lower angles of attack, so that will improve. The other types of drag will mostly cancel out. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_factor_(aeronautics)#Design_standards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_factor_(aeronautics)#Desi...
- unstatusthequo 8y ago
  Yeah though some long flights woods take off and any flight over an hour might never arrive

bzudo 8y ago

Fore!