tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post5180118773029624847..comments2024-03-22T20:34:13.792-05:00Comments on Indomitable | The online home of Chauncey DeVega: Fun With Physics: Pacific Rim is Great Fun But It is No Kaiju Big Battel...And That is OkayLady Zora, Chauncey DeVega, and Gordon Gartrellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138154899923808806noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-77718338136468871802013-08-04T02:48:11.890-05:002013-08-04T02:48:11.890-05:00And that is why I wish I was an engineer. Cool stu...And that is why I wish I was an engineer. Cool stuff and thanks. What type of materials would the mecha have to be made of to fight the kaiju as depicted? Do such materials exist yet?chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-73553998234593474422013-08-03T03:14:23.453-05:002013-08-03T03:14:23.453-05:00The movie shows 16 twin rotor Chinook-style choppe...The movie shows 16 twin rotor Chinook-style choppers per jaeger. However their lift cables all join at what looks like a winch which has two cables extending down to the shoulders. Going with 2000 tons and a crosssectional area for the cables as 10 square cm that means the tensile strength of the cables has to exceed 8.9 GPa. <br /><br />I don't know a lot about materials but that seems like a lot. Wikipedia says 2.5 GPa for some of the strongest stainless steel cables. My assumption up there is a cable you could put your hand around, steel rope like you see on cranes. And that goes for the anchors and the releases etc. <br /><br />All of that is a long way of saying I believe the lift problem is less outlandish compared to the materials problem. The jaegers themselves must be constructed with amazing materials to be able to withstand the stress of hitting a monster in the face with a ship. Or to operate freely on the sea floor. Or as you mentioned to survive a 50,000 foot drop with a perfectly timed and placed retrorocket assist. (The exhaust port doesn't seem to be at the center of gravity, so you have to assume the pilots can compensate.)<br /><br />I can't begin to guess all the numbers to do terminal velocity with drag (surface area on a jaeger must be huge) but with no drag it's 1200 mph, so the fall takes just under a minute. What's the surface area on a 747? You could try that. <br /><br />And as long as you strait up ignore the part about EMPs not affecting the nuclear mark 2s the rest of the suspension of physics isn't too bad. <br /><br />Also, I loved it. The moment where GDanger cuts the kaiju in half with a gleaming sword at sunset is like an idealized recreation right out of Voltron.@dorolfenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-23559952587470493302013-07-22T17:34:52.566-05:002013-07-22T17:34:52.566-05:00There's actually a guy who specializes in this...There's actually a guy who specializes in this type of questions: http://what-if.xkcd.com/Pamela Anderssonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-24918139441266230352013-07-19T23:02:33.913-05:002013-07-19T23:02:33.913-05:00They love sacrificing brother Idris in these alien...They love sacrificing brother Idris in these alien movies don't they?Wavensteinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-64850912116452993322013-07-18T11:51:29.811-05:002013-07-18T11:51:29.811-05:00I will. MM9 sounds right up my alley. I have heard...I will. MM9 sounds right up my alley. I have heard good things about the new Godzilla comic book series too. See the movie and have fun with it. Del Toro most certainly did.chauncey devegahttp://wearerespectablenegroes.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-1798117788274531842013-07-18T09:38:01.946-05:002013-07-18T09:38:01.946-05:00I haven't seen PACIFIC RIM yet, but I plan to-...I haven't seen PACIFIC RIM yet, but I plan to--like you, I grew up on a steady diet of giant monster films (both Western, like THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and THE GIANT BEHEMOTH) and Easter (like GODZILLA and RODAN). And of course my love of all things mecha, like ROBOTECH and GUNDAM.<br /><br />I know the film is not supposed to be Shakespeare. It's supposed to be fun and you go to have a good time. Why people walk into a film with a checklist in their head already is beyond me, but maybe I'm not so smart because I actually go the movies to have fun (some films are exempt from that).<br /><br />Also Chauncey, you should check out the novel MM9. Think of THE OFFICE meets GODZILLA, with some tongue in cheek humor. More info on the book (written by Hiroshi Yamamoto, translated by Nathan Collins) can be found here:<br /><br />http://www.haikasoru.com/mm9/Scopedognoreply@blogger.com