Godling size — Urth Net

James Jordan19 Apr 2001, 11:18original as archived

Godling size

↰ answers Michael Straight · by quotation

4 quoted lines

At 08:53 AM 4/19/2001 -0400, you wrote: I thought the main objection to the godlings is that in Act 1 (New Sun) the author goes into detail about why anything that big would have to live in the sea or collapse under its own weight and then in Act 3 he presents us with such a creature without giving us any hint of how it is possible, or even a sense that we're supposed to see this as a physics-defying miracle -Rostrum

The gravity on the whorl is caused by centrifugal force. It is possible that the higher up you go, the less gravity there is? And how high up do you have to go? Is it possible that the large godling can exist because of this? I doubt if this is good enough, but maybe one of your more scientific types can address this. Nutria *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes19 Apr 2001, 10:19original as archived

↳ follows James Jordan · by subject

Ratty Rote:

1 quoted line

The gravity on the whorl is caused by centrifugal force. It is possible that the higher up you go, the less gravity there is? And how high up do you have to go? Is it possible that the large godling can exist because of this? I doubt if this is good enough, but maybe one of your more scientific types can address this.

Given (1) the size of the Whorl, and (2) the fact that people don't seem to moonwalk on the airship, I'd say this won't work. OTOH, the godlings (at least, the one we see) isn't even as big as, say, an apatosaur of the larger varieties, so I don't see any inherent problem with them. The impression I get about the seadwellers in NEW is that they are more like the size of young mountains. --Dan'l *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

George Terry19 Apr 2001, 11:16original as archived

↳ follows Dan'l Danehy-Oakes · by subject

However, Pig does state his origin as being in the Mountains that Look at Mountains. This is much closer to pole, potentially an area of decreased gravity in this system...the other godlings, having come from the pole areas may also "benefit" from this effect.

8 quoted lines · 1–2 deep

At 10:19 AM 4/19/2001, you wrote: Ratty Rote:

The gravity on the whorl is caused by centrifugal force. It is possible that the higher up you go, the less gravity there is? And how high up do you have to go? Is it possible that the large godling can exist because of this? I doubt if this is good enough, but maybe one of your more scientific types can address this.

Given (1) the size of the Whorl, and (2) the fact that people don't seem to moonwalk on the airship, I'd say this won't work. OTOH, the godlings (at least, the one we see) isn't even as big as, say, an apatosaur of the larger varieties, so I don't see any inherent problem with them. The impression I get about the seadwellers in NEW is that they are more like the size of young mountains. --Dan'l *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

Dan'l Danehy-Oakes19 Apr 2001, 11:37original as archived

↳ follows George Terry · by subject

2 quoted lines

However, Pig does state his origin as being in the Mountains that Look at Mountains. This is much closer to pole, potentially an area of decreased gravity in this system...the other godlings, having come from the pole areas may also "benefit" from this effect.

Wouldn't help him when he came to Viron, though. *This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.

Godling sizeWhorl