HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk)
Subject: Re: Non-nuclear explosive
Keywords: antimatter buckyballs
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 12:10:13 EST

In article <1992Nov20.074125.139464@zeus.calpoly.edu> mhorning@zeus.calpoly.edu (Mark E. Horning (Captain Neutrino)) writes:
>pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) states
>>In article <u894793.721935652@bruny> (T. Little) writes:
>>>pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) writes:
>>>
>>>>Take a bunch of buckyballs with an anti-matter ion in the center.
>>>>(We already have made buckyballs with ions in the center.)
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
[deleted]
>...therefore it would not be stable. Besides, how would you get
>it in there in the first place?

Answer: We wouldn't.  It seems to me that there is SOME way to build a
molecular cage with the right electrostatic charge in the right amounts
in the right places.  But it seems like a great deal of trouble.  For
Bang/Buck we might just as well fling mud pies.  
[(10E -Googol)Bang / (0)Buck]     :)

typical net.excercise #2:                                              :)

Take a primordial black hole.  Place it in the middle of a magnetic field
such that any particles it emits are steered back into it.  Now, when the
hole starts to evaporate, it will get back the same amount of mass.  To
detonate: just turn off the field.  

	--Peter Kwangjun Suk
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk)
Subject: Re: Specific Impulse (kill KILL)
Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.science
Summary: Don't under-estimate me, pls.  Low enough as is.  :)
Keywords: weak humor KILL kill
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 15:17:38 EST

In article <9oNouB3w165w@west.darkside.com> max@west.darkside.com 
(Erik Max Francis) writes:

>Specific impulse is, like you say, a measure of the efficiency of a 
>drive... It's also known as the exhaust velocity;... It has units of 
>velocity.

Who thought up this &%$%&*^%&^ 'Specific Impulse' stuff?  I guess it's
just a physicist type thing to do.  (Being CS, I like things to MEAN
something, variables to SAY something to me.  If a variable-name gives
me a life confession and describes the wife and kids, I'm overjoyed.)

>...Note that this is _not_ the same thing as a reactionless drive.  In a
>reactionless drive, there is no reaction and there is no exhaust.  

No it ain't.  But goddamn it, it sure is convenient, isn't it?  Sort of
in a microwave-oven sort of way.  :)   [Note the quotes around 
"reactionless" in the original thread.]

Somehow, the image of our brave space-fighter pilot -- in his flight leathers
and goggles, white scarf given him by his girlfriend, leaning up against his
deadly star-craft -- doesn't seem quite so romantic when said craft is a 
FIVE-GIGATON PREGNANT GUPPY!  [written with Sam Kinison in mind.]

Sorry, but give me stories of screaming Spitfires and buzzing Sopwith Camels
any day!

					  :)  :)
	--Peter Kwangjun Suk		:)  :)  :)
					  :)  :)  

(P.S.  My thanks to EMF for the info.  I really do appreciate it.  It's
why I read this group.  [note absence of smileys])
From: max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
Date: 21 Nov 92 04:35:04 GMT
Organization: The Dark Side of the Moon +1 408 245 SPAM

griffin@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Zack Thompson) writes:

> No, he didn't get it wrong.  The ball of neutronium was, I think, a lot close
>   to the planet than our moon is to Earth.  A couple lines from the story--
>   When Louis Wu told the alien that it was tide that made the water disappear
>   all of the sudden: "... Tides are not this quick in any case...." and
>   "You see?  The artifact must be nearly to the horizon.  It moves fast."
>   Trust Niven more.  If he puts a fact like this in a book, it's almost 
>   certainly correct with the science of the day.

Yeah, I'm used to trying to second-guess SF authors.  I realized the 
error of my ways when I was replying to another reply to this post of 
mine and was looking in the book.  The original reason that I had 
misunderstood this is because I assumed (quite incorrectly) that the 
neutronium ball was in an orbit comparable to our Moon's; I assumed that 
Niven misunderstood that the tides would be bigger because the neutronium 
ball was denser . . . and this is clearly not true.  It turns out, 
though, that you can move it closer without any obvious ill effects . . . 
which gives Niven his story.

Well, oops.  Hey, I was young when I first read it, and first impressions 
get ingrained deep.

----------
Erik Max Francis   Omnia quia sunt, lumina sunt.  Coming soon:  UNIVERSE _ | _
USmail:  1070 Oakmont Dr. #1 San Jose CA 95117  ICBM:  37 20 N  121 53 W _>|<_
UUCP:  ..!apple!uuwest!max   Usenet:  max@west.darkside.com   464E4F5244   |
From: mhorning@zeus.calpoly.edu (Mark E. Horning (Captain Neutrino))
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re:  Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Date: 21 Nov 92 09:54:25 GMT
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

ingles@engin.umich.edu (Ray Ingles) states
>In article <alien.0187@acheron.amigans.gen.nz> alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz (Ross Smith) writes:
>>In article <1992Nov16.101945.24701@crc.ac.uk> gwilliam@crc.ac.uk (Gary Williams x3294) writes:
>>>
>>>Then, of course, there is the whole subject of accidents of history and
>>>sneaky tricks that can be played to sucker the enemy into destroying
>>>themselves - so much more satisfying!
>
> [lots of neat stories deleted]
>
>>...... Ross Smith (Wanganui, NZ) ...... alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz ......
>
> This isn't *quite* on the topic, but I remember a story (just the plot,
>no author or title, alas) which is told as a report of a general to his
>commanders as to why they lost a recent war. He concludes that it was
>because of his own force's superior technology. Like the spaceship
>defence that would warp space around the ships so that missiles would
>take an infinite time to get to the ship. Of course, it also stressed
>their radios out of alignment, so that when they came out of the effect
>they couldn't communicate and were slaughtered... and other nifty things
>like that.

It's an Arther C. Clark story, called arms race i do believe, though i
am far from certain on the title.


Mark E. Horning, Physics 	A penny saved is a congressional oversite.	
mhorning@pan.calpoly.edu	Don't steal, the IRS hates competition.
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom -- Thomas Jefferson
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk)
Subject: Re: Space Warfare Pointless!
Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.science
Summary: Mutually Assured Destruction of Ecosystems.
Keywords: space combat prisoner's dilemma
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 05:35:33 EST

In article <84106@ut-emx.uucp> wolfone@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu 
(Patrick Chester) writes:

>----- Peter K. Suk writes:
>]	o Any technology which is advanced enough for interstellar
>]		travel invariably leads to the doctrine of
>]		Mutually Assured Destruction of Ecosystems.  
>
>Hmmm?

Any civilzation capable of sending a starship to a neighboring star-system
at a good fraction of c is capable of disrupting a planet's ecosystem
enough to end civilization.  Hell, we might even be doing it _right now_
as a side effect of industrial production.  We don't even need such
drastic measures as we discussed in the "ending life on earth" thread.  
A few big rocks would end civilization, and possibly end our species as
well.  (And there are _much_ subtler ways of doing this which would
suffice for 90% of species as well, which weren't even mentioned in that
thread.)

	--Peter Kwangjun Suk

(P.S. Okay, not necessarily mutual destruction.  It's more like Russian
Roulette.)
From: max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
Date: 17 Nov 92 18:34:34 GMT
Organization: The Dark Side of the Moon +1 408 245 SPAM

rdosser@UTKUX1.UTK.EDU (rdosser) writes:

> Like the Niven story "There is a Tide" in which an advanced race may
> have put a 10-foot sphere of neutronium in orbit around their home planet.
> Anybody spotting it on deep radar investigates to see if it's a stasis
> box, and once they get close....hoover!

Yeah, that was an interesting one.  Unfortunately, he got tidal physics a 
little wrong . . . if the neutronium ball had the same mass as the Moon, 
for instance, you wouldn't notice any difference between tides from a 
neutronium sphere or the Moon.  It's the gravitational mass, not the 
density . . .

----------
Erik Max Francis   Omnia quia sunt, lumina sunt.  Coming soon:  UNIVERSE _ | _
USmail:  1070 Oakmont Dr. #1 San Jose CA 95117  ICBM:  37 20 N  121 53 W _>|<_
UUCP:  ..!apple!uuwest!max   Usenet:  max@west.darkside.com   464E4F5244   |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: mhorning@zeus.calpoly.edu (Mark E. Horning (Captain Neutrino))
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
Date: 20 Nov 92 10:37:37 GMT
Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis) states
>rdosser@UTKUX1.UTK.EDU (rdosser) writes:
>
>> Like the Niven story "There is a Tide" in which an advanced race may
>> have put a 10-foot sphere of neutronium in orbit around their home planet.
>> Anybody spotting it on deep radar investigates to see if it's a stasis
>> box, and once they get close....hoover!
>
>Yeah, that was an interesting one.  Unfortunately, he got tidal physics a 
>little wrong . . . if the neutronium ball had the same mass as the Moon, 
>for instance, you wouldn't notice any difference between tides from a 
>neutronium sphere or the Moon.  It's the gravitational mass, not the 
>density . . .
>
Yeah that and i have a feeling a chunk of neutronium that small would
explode spontaniously.I don't feel like working out the equations to see
what the minimum radius of nutronim would be for stability.
 The energy density of nutronium is tremendous. It
takes a lot of force to keep neutronium from exploding, whick of couse
is why the surfaces of neutron stars have a thick layer of ordenary and
degenerate matter on top of the nutronium. You need that amount of force
of the nutronium goes BOOM ;-)


Mark E. Horning, Physics 	A penny saved is a congressional oversite.	
mhorning@pan.calpoly.edu	Don't steal, the IRS hates competition.
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom -- Thomas Jefferson
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: otten@sbpexe.enet.dec.com ()
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
Reply-To: otten@sbpexe.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 13:26:35 GMT


In article <1992Nov16.101945.24701@crc.ac.uk>, gwilliam@crc.ac.uk (Gary Williams x3294) writes:
|>Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
|>Path: rdg.dec.com!news.crl.dec.com!deccrl!decwrl!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!agate!doc.ic.ac.uk!mrccrc!gwilliam
|>From: gwilliam@crc.ac.uk (Gary Williams x3294)
|>Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
|>Message-ID: <1992Nov16.101945.24701@crc.ac.uk>
|>Keywords: infeasible space weapons kill KILL
|>Sender: news@crc.ac.uk
|>Nntp-Posting-Host: gallium
|>Organization: MRC Human Genome Resource Centre
|>References: <6yPZTB9w165w@west.darkside.com> <83526@ut-emx.uucp> <1992Nov14.121743.22969@newstand.syr.edu>
|>Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 10:19:45 GMT
|>Lines: 23
|>
|>
|>Then, of course, there is the whole subject of accidents of history and
|>sneaky tricks that can be played to sucker the enemy into destroying
|>themselves - so much more satisfying!
|>
|>I'm thinking of things like (can't remember the author Clarke, Asimov?)
|>(can't remember many details) the short story where side number one
|>withdraws from a ancient half-built time-machine which side two gets
|>going only to discover too late that nature always rearranges history so
|>that the time-machine never gets to work (side two knew this but didn't
|>reckon on nature stopping the time-machine from being built by causing
|>their own sun to go nova). 
|>
|>And of course the Foundation Trilogy was full of sociohistorical stuff
|>in which carefully arranged historical forces broke the enemy's will to
|>resist. 
|>
|>See also The Cool War. War of the Worlds etc. etc.
|>-- 
|>GARY WILLIAMS,  Computing Services Section,  Janet:       G.Williams@UK.AC.CRC
|>MRC-CRC & Human Genome Mapping Centre,       Internet:    G.Williams@CRC.AC.UK
|>Watford Rd, HARROW, Middx, HA1 3UJ, UK
|>Tel 081-869 3294   Fax 081-423 1275   
|>
Something to do with Resublimated Thiomolitine??

Ie: a substance that disolved *BEFORE* the water was added to it.

Can't remember the story title, but this was the weapon..

David Otten					!Smoke me a kipper - I'll be 
						!back for breakfast.
My opinions are my own, and not anyone elses intellectual property or problem.
From: young@wattle.dg.oz (Philip Young)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Space Warfare Pointless? (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: space combat prisoner's dilemma
Date: 19 Nov 92 04:06:10 GMT
Organization: Data General Australia

In article <1992Nov14.124756.23296@newstand.syr.edu>, pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) writes:
|> ----- treitel@gracie.IntelliCorp.COM (Richard Treitel) writes:
|> 
[...]
||> population control is generally cheaper than warfare.]
|> 
|> Any takers?
|> 
|> 	--Peter Kwangjun Suk

But it's a whole lot harder to implement - ask the Indians and Chinese  8^}

-- 
Philip R. Young                  | 1.79E+12 furlongs per fortnight ...
Data General Australia Pty. Ltd. | It's not just a good idea, it's the law.
 
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: singley@helix.nih.gov (Erick Singley)
Subject: Re: Philadelphia Experiment (Project Rainbow)
Organization: (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:52:34 GMT

Hmmm, as fuel to the fire, I heard there was a Phili Experiment in real life;
HOWEVER, it dealt with a 'electronic' invisibility (hoping to foil radar, ect.)
and it didn't do anything spectacular.. can't think of where I heard this one...
Erick
--
singley@clinpharm.niaaa.nih.gov
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: pksuk@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Peter K. Suk)
Subject: Re: "Reactionless" Drive (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: high efficiency drives
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 14:13:38 EST

In article <1992Nov19.025917.23404@newstand.syr.edu> I wrote:

[deleted]
>At first, I thought an anti-matter fueled craft was just too far-fetched.
>But after thinking awhile, and reading through old issues of _Analog_,
>I realized that we could build one today if we really wanted to :)
>
>In the March 1988 _Analog's_ "Science Fact" column, Thomas Donaldson put
>together information on schemes for converting energy from fusion
>reactions.  One of these devices he calls a "Taussig Generator" after
>its inventor...
>
>The claimed efficiency of this device is 75%.  It could also extract energy
>from a matter/antimatter reaction.  We could use this device to power a 
>free electron laser.  These have a theoretical efficiency of 65%.
>(Scientific American, forget when.)  This gives us 48.75% of the energy
>in our fuel expressed as photons all moving in the same direction.

Let me correct myself.  This is wrong since much of the energy can be
expressed as neutrinos.  (One-half?)  The following is also wrong.

>We could even get efficiencies approaching 100% if we forget about the pistons
>and the laser.  We could simply have the gamma-rays from the reaction heat 
>the absorber.  The reactor/absorber would be placed at the focus of a 
>parabolic mirror...

Again, the efficiency is much lower.  But it's still phenomenal.

BTW, what are the units for specific impulse?

	--Peter Kwangjun Suk
From: max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: "Reactionless" Drive (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
Keywords: high efficiency drives
Date: 22 Nov 92 04:23:38 GMT
Organization: The Dark Side of the Moon +1 408 245 SPAM

pksuk@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Peter K. Suk) writes:

> BTW, what are the units for specific impulse?

Spcific impulse is the ratio of the thrust produced to the fuel 
consumption; it's also known as the exhaust velocity.  It has units of 
velocity (m/s).

----------
Erik Max Francis   Omnia quia sunt, lumina sunt.  Coming soon:  UNIVERSE _ | _
USmail:  1070 Oakmont Dr. #1 San Jose CA 95117  ICBM:  37 20 N  121 53 W _>|<_
UUCP:  ..!apple!uuwest!max   Usenet:  max@west.darkside.com   464E4F5244   |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: rob@anchor.eng.ohio-state.edu (Rob Carriere)
Subject: Re: Hopping from place to place
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Electrical Engineering
Distribution: rec
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 21:34:57 GMT

In article <MARTINC.92Nov23120127@hatteras.cs.unc.edu>
martinc@hatteras.cs.unc.edu (Charles R. Martin) writes: 
>Say you're travelling point to point on a vaccum planet like the Moon.
>Is it more or less energy efficient -- make that "delta-vee efficient"
>-- if you
[...]

Note that there might be other considerations as well.  For example, in
Clarke's _A Fall of Moondust_ a reporter hires a spaceship, crew and all, to
hop him 100 km (60 mi) over.  Rather than do optimizing sums, the Captain just
shoots straight up to 1,000 km altitude and then backs down a tad obliquely.
The trick is that by clearing 1,000 km above surface he was allowed to charge
a higher rate for his ship...

SR
---
From: martinc@hatteras.cs.unc.edu (Charles R. Martin)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Hopping from place to place
Date: 23 Nov 92 17:01:27 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: UNC Department of Computer Science

One of those little points that somebody like Ctein would certainly
catch if I get it wrong....

Say you're travelling point to point on a vaccum planet like the Moon.
Is it more or less energy efficient -- make that "delta-vee efficient"
-- if you

(a) do a helecopter-like hover on your jets (seems unlikely) and move
    across the surface at a constant altitude

(b) do many short hops ballistically

(c) make one big ballistic jump: burn, wait, do a jet landing.

... and in the interest of building up the physics education I should
have had but avoided because I was a philosophy major, why?

My *intuition* is that c is cheaper than b which is cheaper than a.
--
		Charles R. Martin/(Charlie)/martinc@cs.unc.edu
     Dept. of Computer Science/CB #3175 UNC-CH/Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3175
	    3611 University Dr #13M/Durham, NC 27707/(919) 419 1754
     "Oh God, please help me be civil in tongue, pure in thought, and able
      to resist the temptation to laugh uncontrollably.  Amen." -- Rob T
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: ccw@prefect.cc.bellcore.com (wood,christopher)
Subject: Re: Non-nuclear explosive
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 22:02:27 GMT
Keywords: antimatter molecular containment

In article <1992Nov16.202719.9254@newstand.syr.edu> pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) writes:
>In article <u894793.721935652@bruny> (T. Little) writes:
>>pksuk@mothra.syr.EDU (Peter K. Suk) writes:
>>
>>>Take a bunch of buckyballs with an anti-matter ion in the center.
>>>(We already have made buckyballs with ions in the center.)
>[deleted]
>>>	-- Is the buckyball w/anti-matter ion actually stable?

>>No.  You wouldn't be able to prevent the anti-electrons of the ion from
>>reacting with the normal electrons of the buckyball.  

>>I don't know whether a hydrogen ion would react (it has no electrons),
>>but I would strongly suspect that it does...

>What does the net charge of the carbon atoms in a buckyball look like
>from the _inside_?  If the net charge looks negative, then an anti-proton
>could survive if the surrounding buckyballs were at a low enough 
>temperature.  However, in all likelihood the net charge is positive.  
>Anyone know for sure?

>	--Peter Kwangjun Suk

If we assume that whatever charge on the buckyball is spherically
distributed (yes, I know this is an approximation...) then it doesn't
matter.  the electrostatic force is proportional to the inverse of r**2,
so with the assumed symmetry, the sphere outside cancels out, no matter
what the charge.

Chris



-- 
Chris Wood     Bellcore     ...!bellcore!prefect!ccw
                         or ccw@prefect.cc.bellcore.com
From: D.J.Butcher@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Butcher)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Subject: Re: Weapons systems?
Date: 18 Nov 92 12:56:07 GMT
Organization: Computing Laboratory, U of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU.


In article <6yPZTB9w165w@west.darkside.com>, max@west.darkside.com (Erik Max Francis) writes:
>I've been thinking about combat in space, and am wondering if anyone has 
>come up with any novel weapons/delivery systems.
>
>So far I have:
>
>    o laser beams
>    o particle beams
>    o kinetic weapons (shells)
>    o missiles
>    o torpedos (nuclear missiles)
>
>Anything else pop into mind?
>
>----------
>Erik Max Francis   Omnia quia sunt, lumina sunt.  Coming soon:  UNIVERSE _ | _
>USmail:  1070 Oakmont Dr. #1 San Jose CA 95117  ICBM:  37 20 N  121 53 W _>|<_
>UUCP:  ..!apple!uuwest!max   Usenet:  max@west.darkside.com   464E4F5244   |

Very fast missile that detonates 1/3 of distance from target.
Carrying a few tons of gravel.

..
Nb.- Witty Quote goes here.

	D.Butcher@ncl.ac.uk
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 11:56:58 -0500 
From: "Andrew C. Plotkin" <ap1i+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Sci-Fantasy Weapons (Was: Re: Weapons systems?)
	<1992Nov20.103737.199616@zeus.calpoly.edu>

Excerpts from netnews.rec.arts.sf.science: 20-Nov-92 Re: Sci-Fantasy
Weapons (Wa.. Captain Neutrino@zeus.ca (1372)

> Yeah that and i have a feeling a chunk of neutronium that small would
> explode spontaniously.I don't feel like working out the equations to see
> what the minimum radius of nutronim would be for stability.

It could have been locked in with a stasis field. It wouldn't have
changed the appearance or behavior at all.

(No, I don't know why I'm inventing Niven's excuses for him. :-)

Hm, then you have to make a chunk of neutronium, build a stasis
generator that you can drop onto it and still have function... tough.
Probably the generator is being crushed flat, very slowly, inside its
own field. At some point (a few million years? Tomorrow?) the field
dies, and the sphere explodes violently enough to leave a scar on the
planet...

There's probably a story in there somewhere. Heh.

--Z

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.science
From: bcr@cernapo.cern.ch (Bill Riemers)
Subject: Re: FTL
Organization: CERN, European Research Center for High Energy Physics
	<Bxn7Az.9Du@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
Distribution: rec
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 17:22:53 GMT

In article <Bxn7Az.9Du@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tbmg9061@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thomas B MacIukenas) writes:

>  change.  Fortunately, however, he didn't quite have the guts to say they
>  would instantaneously accelerate to c since the total mass of the system
>  is zero.  :^)

I had forgotten this ascept of negative matter...  Fortunately, the acceleration
is governed by normal inverse square laws and is finite.  I did a few calculations
to remind myself, and it seems that this result is true either if you assume
negative matter and matter are symmetric or anti-symmetric.  (Awsum...  Unless
you move to theory of complex matter, everything at least remains consistent
with known physical laws.)

                                   Bill