No, I am not making this up

[ultranos]

Conversation at lunch today (paraphrased):

"So, if one Stargate was orbiting the planet in space, and the other was on a planet, and you opened a connection, how dead are we?"
"How so?"
"Using the Stargate to limit the flow, how fast will it take to reach equilibrium, between the atmosphere and vacuum? Ignoring bulkheads, doors, corridors, etc under a mountain."
"Well, it'll take time to move the atmosphere from around the planet, and the rate will slow down the thinner the atmosphere gets..."
"Don't forget that, barring being connected to a black hole or having a giant red laser aimed at the Stargate, it closes after 38 minutes."
"So, with boundary conditions of 'the plot', how much dead should we have been?"
"You know, this is actually an easy calculation. I'll get back to you on it."

Comments

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good point, we have seen canon evidence of substances not passing through with Watergate. Hmmm. Perhaps something to do with substance uniformity? Perhaps the ability to tell whether something is purposely approaching the event horizon versus the random events of molecules bumping against it in their natural motion (because if you have enough physics to make the 'gates, you have enough to detect that)

Molecule size alone wouldn't work, given that humans are mostly water....but some form of intent and ability to determine larger structure of molecules - since that would have to be observed to reconstruct the object and...now I'm thinking about quantum entanglement and how very not possible the stargate really is.

I'm actually thinking it's some form of momentum vector and determination of whether the atoms/molecules are purposely trying to go through the event horizon, which is cool.

[shutthef-up.livejournal.com]

I'm actually thinking it's some form of momentum vector and determination of whether the atoms/molecules are purposely trying to go through the event horizon, which is cool.

Yes, some kind of cohesion combined with *purposeful* movement, rather than random motion.

Aren't atoms held together by electrical attraction? Okay, not electricity, per se, but... (flails for the right word). Same is true of molecules, which are attracted one another by filling in the positions ions (ions? eh, maybe) leave open (kind of like arms)

So, I'm thinking maybe the gate picks up on that basic electrical cohesion of matter, distinguishing it from random... stuff.

Which also means that if something came up with the right weapon, they could disintegrate us like replicators, by counteracting the electrical bonds holding our molecules together. Which is maybe what that weapon on Dakara did.

Also, re: the Stargate 'sucking'. Remember the effect from the movie? Where people stick part of themselves in the Event Horizon and the stargate sort of 'sucks' them in from there? Yeah, they're duplicating that effect in the Ark of the Truth. Which... isn't really a spoiler of any significance, I don't think.

So much for the Stargate not sucking ;)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Well, technically the nucleus of an atom is held together by the Strong Force (which my understanding is that we don't completely understand) and electrons are mostly held to a nucleus by electromagnetic forces (positive attracted to netagive). Molecules work by sharing electrons - Oxygen tries to teal Hydrogen's electrons, but Hydrogen doesn't let go, in the process Oxygen develops a slight negative charge and Hydrogen a slight positive, and, voila, you have water.

And, yeah, if someone finds a way to break molecules down into atoms (essentially eliminate atomic bonds) will be 1) very impressed and 2) very scared. The only think with Dakara is I don't see how that would single out lifeforms - one O-H bond would look the same as another whether water molecule was in me, my cat, the river or a glacier (okay, it'll look slightly different frozen)

Huh. Because I'm pretty sure during the tv run the Stargate doesn't suck. Hmm.

[shutthef-up.livejournal.com]

No, I agree. I don't remember the gate ever sucking on the tv run. Just in the Russell/Spader movie. And in AoT, apparently.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, I think I have an explanation/handwave for that. Sort of :) But it would involve a spoiler, so I'm going to shut up about it unless you want to hear about it. (It's really a pretty small spoiler and one you'd know about if you've watched the teasers. Which, by the way, there will be a one minute trailer during Atlantis this Friday. You'll probably see what I'm talking about then.)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Nope. I am 100% un-spoiled and since I don't get the sci-fi channel, that includes teasers. And I appreciate you helping me stay that way.

But, hm, in Fire and Water - did it suck the wreath during Daniels' funeral?

[shutthef-up.livejournal.com]

But, hm, in Fire and Water - did it suck the wreath during Daniels' funeral?

It did, sort of. Jack and Sam placed it on the Event Horizon and then it just sort of sank in from there after they took their hands away. But we didn't get the from-the-side POV that would show us the de-materializing aspect of things.

No problem on the spoilers. I seemed to remember that you were unspoiled.