Re: Sand

Phillip Pournelle wrote:
>>No, the energy requirements are still minor.	The field affects each
>>particle individually, not as a whole.  The particles are not treated
as a
>>single mass.	The force of the ship accelerating would need to exceed
the
>>force applied to each individual particle.
>	 Conservation of Mass requires that the enrgy be expended
against
>each particle individually and sum them...

The energy you are speaking about is indirectly applied.  The energy
powers
a device that generates and focuses the magnetic field.  The resulting
magnetic field affects each particle separately.  Conservation of mass
does
not apply to magnetic fields.  Magnetic fields work similar to gravitic
fields.  For example, the earth applies the same amount of gravitic
attraction to the MIR space station as it does to a smaller orbiting
satellite.  The field does not sub-divide into smaller fields of lesser
attraction.

>  Since each particle has next to
>>no mass, there is very little inertia per particle to overcome.  If
the
>>particles had greater mass, and thus a larger inertia at rest state,
the
>>particles would require stronger energy fields to keep them in
station.
>>However, I would think travel in FTL would negate the field effects
for one
>>reason or another.
>	 Huh?  We just steped into Star Trek laws of physics...

The part about FTL is just my guess.  It was not stated as a fact. 
Works I
have read regarding possible FTL travel always seem to describe some
sort of
barrier field or "exotic matter" used outside the spacecraft, that keeps
it
from direct contact with hyperspace, etc.  With such a barrier in place,
I
would think it would be quite difficult to operate magnetic fields
outside
the spacecraft.  This is just my guess.

Mike Miserendino