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F/szTXT1
This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.
Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.
| Tape/disk: | Home » Personal collection » Acorn ADFS disks » Electron_User_Group » EUG_23.ADF |
| Filename: | F/szTXT1 |
| Read OK: | ✔ |
| File size: | 05E5 bytes |
| Load address: | 73206576 |
| Exec address: | 5458547A |
File contents
A number of years ago I was discussing the porblems of space travel. My own feeling is that because of the rule of light speed that substancial space travel will never become a reality as such. I decided to try to demonstrate this by reducing the distance between Pluto and the Sun to 20 feet and then working out what other sizes would be on this scale. I chose 20 feet because the room I was in at the time was about 20 feet across. I wrote this program to put the calculations onto a computer. It uses decimal numbers which aren't as graphic as fractions unfortunately. When a number is quoted as say 1.2E-12 that means that the decimal place needs to be moved 12 places to the left ie 0.0000000000012 It is interesting though to look at. I didn't really know waht sort of results I would get when I started. I was especially impressed in the size of the Sun on this scale. When I first looked at the results it seemed strange that with the relative size of the Sun to Pluto that the Sun could be preceved by Pluto as a bright star or even that the Sun could exert any gravatitional influence over Pluto at all. The Sun is infact a point of light against a dark background and it just goes to show just goes to show how significant an influence gravaty is in the universe. A quick comparson of the actual size of Earth to Mars suggests that the dreamers who imagine that one day Earthlings will colonise that planet are rather fantastic, great if you want to lose half your weight instantly though.
00000000 41 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 20 6f 66 20 79 65 61 72 |A number of year| 00000010 73 20 61 67 6f 20 49 20 77 61 73 20 64 69 73 63 |s ago I was disc| 00000020 75 73 73 69 6e 67 20 74 68 65 20 70 6f 72 62 6c |ussing the porbl| 00000030 65 6d 73 20 6f 66 20 73 70 61 63 65 20 74 72 61 |ems of space tra| 00000040 76 65 6c 2e 20 4d 79 0d 6f 77 6e 20 66 65 65 6c |vel. My.own feel| 00000050 69 6e 67 20 69 73 20 74 68 61 74 20 62 65 63 61 |ing is that beca| 00000060 75 73 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 72 75 6c 65 20 |use of the rule | 00000070 6f 66 20 6c 69 67 68 74 20 73 70 65 65 64 20 74 |of light speed t| 00000080 68 61 74 20 73 75 62 73 74 61 6e 63 69 61 6c 0d |hat substancial.| 00000090 73 70 61 63 65 20 74 72 61 76 65 6c 20 77 69 6c |space travel wil| 000000a0 6c 20 6e 65 76 65 72 20 62 65 63 6f 6d 65 20 61 |l never become a| 000000b0 20 72 65 61 6c 69 74 79 20 61 73 20 73 75 63 68 | reality as such| 000000c0 2e 20 49 20 64 65 63 69 64 65 64 20 74 6f 20 74 |. I decided to t| 000000d0 72 79 20 74 6f 0d 64 65 6d 6f 6e 73 74 72 61 74 |ry to.demonstrat| 000000e0 65 20 74 68 69 73 20 62 79 20 72 65 64 75 63 69 |e this by reduci| 000000f0 6e 67 20 74 68 65 20 64 69 73 74 61 6e 63 65 20 |ng the distance | 00000100 62 65 74 77 65 65 6e 20 50 6c 75 74 6f 20 61 6e |between Pluto an| 00000110 64 20 74 68 65 20 53 75 6e 20 74 6f 20 32 30 0d |d the Sun to 20.| 00000120 66 65 65 74 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 6e 20 77 6f |feet and then wo| 00000130 72 6b 69 6e 67 20 6f 75 74 20 77 68 61 74 20 6f |rking out what o| 00000140 74 68 65 72 20 73 69 7a 65 73 20 77 6f 75 6c 64 |ther sizes would| 00000150 20 62 65 20 6f 6e 20 74 68 69 73 20 73 63 61 6c | be on this scal| 00000160 65 2e 20 49 20 63 68 6f 73 65 0d 32 30 20 66 65 |e. I chose.20 fe| 00000170 65 74 20 62 65 63 61 75 73 65 20 74 68 65 20 72 |et because the r| 00000180 6f 6f 6d 20 49 20 77 61 73 20 69 6e 20 61 74 20 |oom I was in at | 00000190 74 68 65 20 74 69 6d 65 20 77 61 73 20 61 62 6f |the time was abo| 000001a0 75 74 20 32 30 20 66 65 65 74 20 61 63 72 6f 73 |ut 20 feet acros| 000001b0 73 2e 20 0d 0d 49 20 77 72 6f 74 65 20 74 68 69 |s. ..I wrote thi| 000001c0 73 20 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d 20 74 6f 20 70 75 74 |s program to put| 000001d0 20 74 68 65 20 63 61 6c 63 75 6c 61 74 69 6f 6e | the calculation| 000001e0 73 20 6f 6e 74 6f 20 61 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 65 |s onto a compute| 000001f0 72 2e 20 49 74 20 75 73 65 73 0d 64 65 63 69 6d |r. It uses.decim| 00000200 61 6c 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 20 77 68 69 63 68 |al numbers which| 00000210 20 61 72 65 6e 27 74 20 61 73 20 67 72 61 70 68 | aren't as graph| 00000220 69 63 20 61 73 20 66 72 61 63 74 69 6f 6e 73 20 |ic as fractions | 00000230 75 6e 66 6f 72 74 75 6e 61 74 65 6c 79 2e 20 57 |unfortunately. W| 00000240 68 65 6e 20 61 0d 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 20 69 73 20 |hen a.number is | 00000250 71 75 6f 74 65 64 20 61 73 20 73 61 79 20 31 2e |quoted as say 1.| 00000260 32 45 2d 31 32 20 74 68 61 74 20 6d 65 61 6e 73 |2E-12 that means| 00000270 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 20 64 65 63 69 6d 61 | that the decima| 00000280 6c 20 70 6c 61 63 65 20 6e 65 65 64 73 20 74 6f |l place needs to| 00000290 0d 62 65 20 6d 6f 76 65 64 20 31 32 20 70 6c 61 |.be moved 12 pla| 000002a0 63 65 73 20 74 6f 20 74 68 65 20 6c 65 66 74 20 |ces to the left | 000002b0 69 65 20 30 2e 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 |ie 0.00000000000| 000002c0 31 32 0d 0d 49 74 20 69 73 20 69 6e 74 65 72 65 |12..It is intere| 000002d0 73 74 69 6e 67 20 74 68 6f 75 67 68 20 74 6f 20 |sting though to | 000002e0 6c 6f 6f 6b 20 61 74 2e 20 49 20 64 69 64 6e 27 |look at. I didn'| 000002f0 74 20 72 65 61 6c 6c 79 20 6b 6e 6f 77 20 77 61 |t really know wa| 00000300 68 74 20 73 6f 72 74 20 6f 66 0d 72 65 73 75 6c |ht sort of.resul| 00000310 74 73 20 49 20 77 6f 75 6c 64 20 67 65 74 20 77 |ts I would get w| 00000320 68 65 6e 20 49 20 73 74 61 72 74 65 64 2e 20 49 |hen I started. I| 00000330 20 77 61 73 20 65 73 70 65 63 69 61 6c 6c 79 20 | was especially | 00000340 69 6d 70 72 65 73 73 65 64 20 69 6e 20 74 68 65 |impressed in the| 00000350 20 73 69 7a 65 0d 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 53 75 6e | size.of the Sun| 00000360 20 6f 6e 20 74 68 69 73 20 73 63 61 6c 65 2e 20 | on this scale. | 00000370 0d 0d 57 68 65 6e 20 49 20 66 69 72 73 74 20 6c |..When I first l| 00000380 6f 6f 6b 65 64 20 61 74 20 74 68 65 20 72 65 73 |ooked at the res| 00000390 75 6c 74 73 20 69 74 20 73 65 65 6d 65 64 20 73 |ults it seemed s| 000003a0 74 72 61 6e 67 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 20 77 69 74 |trange that wit| 000003b0 68 20 74 68 65 0d 72 65 6c 61 74 69 76 65 20 73 |h the.relative s| 000003c0 69 7a 65 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 53 75 6e 20 74 |ize of the Sun t| 000003d0 6f 20 50 6c 75 74 6f 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 |o Pluto that the| 000003e0 20 53 75 6e 20 63 6f 75 6c 64 20 62 65 20 70 72 | Sun could be pr| 000003f0 65 63 65 76 65 64 20 62 79 20 50 6c 75 74 6f 0d |eceved by Pluto.| 00000400 61 73 20 61 20 62 72 69 67 68 74 20 73 74 61 72 |as a bright star| 00000410 20 6f 72 20 65 76 65 6e 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 | or even that th| 00000420 65 20 53 75 6e 20 63 6f 75 6c 64 20 65 78 65 72 |e Sun could exer| 00000430 74 20 61 6e 79 20 67 72 61 76 61 74 69 74 69 6f |t any gravatitio| 00000440 6e 61 6c 0d 69 6e 66 6c 75 65 6e 63 65 20 6f 76 |nal.influence ov| 00000450 65 72 20 50 6c 75 74 6f 20 61 74 20 61 6c 6c 2e |er Pluto at all.| 00000460 20 54 68 65 20 53 75 6e 20 69 73 20 69 6e 66 61 | The Sun is infa| 00000470 63 74 20 61 20 70 6f 69 6e 74 20 6f 66 20 6c 69 |ct a point of li| 00000480 67 68 74 20 61 67 61 69 6e 73 74 20 61 0d 64 61 |ght against a.da| 00000490 72 6b 20 62 61 63 6b 67 72 6f 75 6e 64 20 61 6e |rk background an| 000004a0 64 20 69 74 20 6a 75 73 74 20 67 6f 65 73 20 74 |d it just goes t| 000004b0 6f 20 73 68 6f 77 20 6a 75 73 74 20 67 6f 65 73 |o show just goes| 000004c0 20 74 6f 20 73 68 6f 77 20 68 6f 77 20 73 69 67 | to show how sig| 000004d0 6e 69 66 69 63 61 6e 74 0d 61 6e 20 69 6e 66 6c |nificant.an infl| 000004e0 75 65 6e 63 65 20 67 72 61 76 61 74 79 20 69 73 |uence gravaty is| 000004f0 20 69 6e 20 74 68 65 20 75 6e 69 76 65 72 73 65 | in the universe| 00000500 2e 0d 0d 41 20 71 75 69 63 6b 20 63 6f 6d 70 61 |...A quick compa| 00000510 72 73 6f 6e 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 61 63 74 75 |rson of the actu| 00000520 61 6c 20 73 69 7a 65 20 6f 66 20 45 61 72 74 68 |al size of Earth| 00000530 20 74 6f 20 4d 61 72 73 20 73 75 67 67 65 73 74 | to Mars suggest| 00000540 73 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 0d 64 72 65 61 6d |s that the.dream| 00000550 65 72 73 20 77 68 6f 20 69 6d 61 67 69 6e 65 20 |ers who imagine | 00000560 74 68 61 74 20 6f 6e 65 20 64 61 79 20 45 61 72 |that one day Ear| 00000570 74 68 6c 69 6e 67 73 20 77 69 6c 6c 20 63 6f 6c |thlings will col| 00000580 6f 6e 69 73 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 70 6c 61 6e 65 |onise that plane| 00000590 74 20 61 72 65 0d 72 61 74 68 65 72 20 66 61 6e |t are.rather fan| 000005a0 74 61 73 74 69 63 2c 20 67 72 65 61 74 20 69 66 |tastic, great if| 000005b0 20 79 6f 75 20 77 61 6e 74 20 74 6f 20 6c 6f 73 | you want to los| 000005c0 65 20 68 61 6c 66 20 79 6f 75 72 20 77 65 69 67 |e half your weig| 000005d0 68 74 20 69 6e 73 74 61 6e 74 6c 79 0d 74 68 6f |ht instantly.tho| 000005e0 75 67 68 2e 0d |ugh..| 000005e5
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F/szTXT1.m1
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F/szTXT1.m4
F/szTXT1.m5
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