> habitats that are wider than they are long are intrinsically stable
I'm having trouble visualizing any of this. When you say 'longer than they
are wide' do you mean like a cigarette or a can? And you are saying a
habitat that is more like a wheel is more stable, right?
Right.
'longer than they are wide' means more like a cigarette or pencil
'wider than they are long' means more like a tuna can or wheel
You ask,
For those figuring out the air pressure question, would there be
differences if
a) the structure was disc like, completely open on the inside
(other than support structures)
b) wheel like, with the rim having air and four (or x) spokes open
all the way to the axis
As far as I know, A and B are identical from a presssure point of view
since the columns of air go to the center, and Pascal discovered that
the height of the column is what counts. Is that right?
c) wheel like, with only the rim having air, the spokes separate
from the rim
In this configuration, the relevant maximum height is, I think, the
ceiling. Perhaps I am wrong -- does someone know?
Hmm... would the pressure at the ceiling be the same as the pressure
at that altitude in an `open' configuration? Or would it be lower
because there is no weight of air above the ceiling. Or would it be
higher because the ceiling holds it in?
I suspect that the pressure would be lower than in an `open'
configuration because it would not have the weight of a higher column
pressing it. Is this right?
d) a can like structure, completely open
How is this different from A? As far as I know, length is irrelevant.
Is that right?
e) a can like structure, with only the rim pressurized
If length is irrelevant, this is the same as C.
--
Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises
http://www.rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
http://www.teak.cc [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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