34 replies to this topic

[m15399]

You're confusing weight and mass, here. A floating stefan has no weight, but it still has mass. If you made a stefan out of a helium filled tiny mylar balloon with an exact amount of weight (no pun intended) added, such as tape wrapped around it, to equilize gravity, it would have reasonable mass and would (ideally) float forever, making it go for a very long ways. Due to air resistance, it would slow down very quickly because it would have less mass than an ordinary stefan, but it would still travel farther.

[Meaker VI]

I'm not confusing weight and mass. Weight is only constant on earth while mass is not. Mass is always mass, but on earth, in order to acheive no weight (bloody impossible anyway, the thing will ether have slightly negitive weight or slightly positive weight) you would need to use some kind of gas or a vacuume.
In order for those to work, you would need to add materials that would raise the volume enourmously. Helium has mass yes, but it is not very dense and thus takes up alot of volume, which raises air resistance. The equation for density is mass divided by volume. If you are using helium that floats (uncompressed, at room temperature) than the density will likely be a decimal. Lead, on the other hand, would be in the multiple digits (at least 2 digits). This means that a lead projectile of equal mass will fly farther, because it has less air resistance. The ballon/floating projectile will only go so far before air resistance overcomes it and it stops, and probably starts floating upward.

Edited by Meaker VI, 15 December 2005 - 01:25 PM.

[Falcon]

In other words, let's stop discussing a pointless subject, and move on to real nerfing. With real stefans. Real nerf gun propelled stefans.

That don't have balloons attached to them. Or airtanks. Or rocket engines (heaven forbid).

Is that okay with you guys? It had better be. This is after all, a NERF forum for a reason.

[m15399]

bloody impossible anyway, the thing will ether have slightly negitive weight or slightly positive weight

We're talking theoretically here. Notice I said "ideally".
All that I'm saying is it can be done. Maybe not with helium and maybe not with a stefan, but it is possible to make a projectile that does not have weight (theoretically).

In other words, let's stop discussing a pointless subject

I wouldn't call it pointless, but if it seems to bother everyone so much I'll stop talking.

[footemps]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... falcon's getting mad @ these obsurities?

why not add timed solenoid controlled balloon bladders? That'd be light and safe!

[The Infinite Shindig]

I was starting to think that some of you around here would start to get it. I was starting to think that more of you would be able to handle yourselves on the forum better. It is becoming obvious to me that Falcon and a handful of others are the only few that get it around here.

The fact that there is backtalk to what Falcon said disappoints me. The homemades forum is for posting what you built. So either build something, or just simply shut the fuck up.

[KirbySaysHi]

Hokay.

After reading where this topic turned after a few days, I wanted to say something. So here goes. What follows is my opinion.

Nerf is Nerf. Part of the reason that I believe this community to be so strong is the ingenuity and constant influx of ideas. I understand that this topic might not "Be Nerf", but it still allows people to flex their brain, and that flex might be the next great idea for nerf. So I don't think there is any reason to quelch this topic, provided that it doesn't become human torch-esque. But I suppose it is.

Yeah, the homemades section is for things that people have built, but it's also for discussing ideas, concepts, and general thoughts. This IS a forum, the main medium is the written word combined with input from the masses.

Bottom line: why do people get so angry? Are people's lives that devoid that these forums are the only control they can exert over others to fulfill their own desires? "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony...."

What the freak. I don't mean to be confrontational, rather I just wanted to let those things out.



Oh, and Falcon, that balloon idea of mine was for the balloon to be inside of the missile, so there would not be any drag, other than the rocket itself. I was later told by a friend (since I've never seen a titan missile) that it probably wouldn't work since I was thinking of the launching system as a larger version of the old Bow and Arrow, and apparently the titan system is much different. Oh well.

Not everybody is in a place where they can build something, so speculation may be their only option. Like me. I'm in my apartment. I don't build things here. Oh darn.

Copy!

[The Infinite Shindig]

Kirby,

Perhaps I would be more tolerant of this topic if it managecd to fall anywhere in the general domain of Nerf. Self propelled arrows? You have got to be kidding me. There are relatively few ways to get arrows to self launch, all of which involve either a model rocket engine or some time of chemical reaction. Either way, I don't recall either of those being employed in any Nerf War that I have ever attended. Case in point, this topic is so far out there, we passed the people dancing around in aluminum foil a long time ago.

Bottom line: why do people get so angry? Are people's lives that devoid that these forums are the only control they can exert over others to fulfill their own desires?

I have plenty to do in my free time, and these forums are not my outlet to make myself feel better at night. Perhaps that is the case with others, but not with me. Excuse me if I do my job well. My views that were previously expressed are the views of the majority of Team NH. Most of us believe that idea exchanging in the realm of homemades has gotten out of hand, and that very few are actually building something and posting it for the community. So that leaves us with a forum of clogged posts about "theoretical" ideas.

For more information on my take about "theoretical" ideas, please view one of my recent posts

[KirbySaysHi]

Shindig,

I understand what you're saying about the forum being clogged with ideas with little results. My only complaint, is that I think there may be some valid ideas in this, so I don't think they should be destroyed. Maybe there should just be a different section for talk like this. Something like an "Idle Speculation/Theoretical Nonsense" channel or something. Somewhere where people can just throw an idea out there, regardless of how non-nerf it is... I know there's the unrelated channel, but my experience with it has been that people talk about completely non-nerf things.

Oh well.

By the way, I should have been more clear. I wasn't really talking about you when I made the bottom line comment. I was more talking about how easily people get angry on forums (not just these), and my questions about why that happens.

Copy!

[N00BTERMINATOR]

What if you just threw the darts at people. that would be pretty accurate. And it would look really cool.