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2001 Phys. Educ. 36 193
(http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/36/3/303)
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Abstract
Many pupils will be familiar with the ideas in 2001: A Space Odyssey but
few will have considered the physics involved. Simple calculations show
that some of the effects depicted in the Space Station and on the Discovery
are plausible but others would be impractical.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
193
N Fisher
Figure 1.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 2.
Apparent weightlessness
Imagine a scientist is in a box falling towards the
centre of Earth in free fall (figure 1). (This could be
in an elevator when the cable has snapped, holding
a ball as you jump off a diving platform or in an
orbiting spacecraft.)
If the scientist releases an apple (figure 2), it
will not fall to the floor of the box because both
the box and the apple have the same downwards
acceleration.
To the scientist, it appears that gravity has
been switched off. As long as he is accelerating at
the same rate as the box and apple he will not be
able to tell if he is in free fall or if gravity has just
disappeared. He will also not sense his weight
because the sensation of weight comes from the
floor pushing up on him: as he and the floor are
falling at the same rate, the floor does not push on
him.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
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N Fisher
Figure 9.
Figure 10.
196
PHYSICS EDUCATION
Msc
+1 .
Mr
Thus, to keep L as small as possible, the mass,
Mr , of the discarded rocket stage needs to be as
large as possible compared with the mass of the
spacecraft. For further details see [2].
so
L=r
Quantitative approaches
r = a/2
= 9.81/0.21
= 220 m.
In his book Rendezvous with Rama (written
after 2001: A Space Odyssey) Clarke suggests
using two space capsules tethered by a cable of
suitable length and set spinning by momentarily
using jets thrusting in opposite directions to get
the required angular velocity.
In 1923, Hermann Oberth suggested something similar. One of the suggestions for a manned
mission to Mars involves using a similar technique
(see figure 11) [2].
The spacecraft could be connected to a
discarded rocket stage.
This will act as a
counterweight. The length, L, of the tether cable
Figure 11.
r h
.
r
PHYSICS EDUCATION
197
N Fisher
Figure 12.
For a height h = 2 m
220 2
ahead
=
afoot
220
= 99%.
This 1% difference would be tolerable (figure 12).
The effect of moving in the spacecraft
In the film 2001, astronaut Bowman is shown
running around a rotating space carousel. If vr
is the rim velocity of the rotating carousel and
vt the velocity of the astronaut at the rim in the
direction of vr , then the radial acceleration towards
the centre (figure 13) is given by
a = (vr + vt )2 /r.
If the astronaut walked in the opposite
direction to the rotation of the carousel, a minus
sign would be needed (figure 14):
a = (vr vt )2 /r.
So, if the rim speed of the carousel, vr , is small
enough it is possible for the astronaut to cancel out
Figure 14.
Figure 13.
198
PHYSICS EDUCATION
so
x2 = r 2 y2.
But the y position of the apple is given by y =
(r h). Thus
y 2 = (r h)2 .
This gives
r 2 (r h)2
= 2rh h2 .
x=
Figure 15.
Thus
x=
h(2r h).
h(2r h)
t=
.
(r h)
x2 + y2 = r 2
h(2r h)
=
.
(r h)
Figure 16.
Figure 17.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
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N Fisher
h(2r h)
.
r h
h(2r h)
.
= r sin
r h
x = 30 m.
5.3 2
ahead
=
= 62%.
afoot
5.3
= 2/T
= 2/10
= 0.63 rad s1
1
2
35 0.305 = 5.3 m.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
Figure 18.
h(2r h)
=
.
r h
The new horizontal component of distance of the
astronauts feet is given by
x = r sin
h(2r h)
.
= r sin
r h
Inserting the numbers r = 5.3 m and h = 2 m
gives
x = 5.0 m.
The distance moved in the y direction is
y = r(1 cos ) = 3.7 m.
Thus, as the astronauts feet rotate around with
the carousel, the feet sweep underneath the apple
and overtake it. The apple lands to one side
of the astronauts feet in a retrograde position
(figure 19).
Figure 19.
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to James McMenemey for
initial proofreading and the Rugby Natural History
Society.
Received 14 March 2001
PII: S0031-9120(01)23209-2
References
[1] Clarke A C 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey
(London: Arrow)
[2] http://www.marsacedemy.com/artg1.htm
Conclusion
There are a lot of untapped resources in good
science fiction. The above calculations could be
adapted to form a series of questions for a class
who are studying centripetal acceleration.
PHYSICS EDUCATION
201