Ask Science

8594 readers

13 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.

Community Rules

Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.

Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.

Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.

Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.

Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.

Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.

Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.

Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.

Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.

Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.

Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.

Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.

Rule 7: Report violations.

Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.

Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.

Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.

Rule 9: Source required for answers.

Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.

By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

What are some popular sci-fi gadgets that are actually possible to construct in theory? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

34 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I am talking about gadgets we see in science fiction movies that obey the laws of physics of our universe and could theoretically be constructed, barring the limitations of materials, energy and time faced by our civilization at the moment.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

[long but worth it]

In the original story, NASA finds a glowing diamond-like structure on the Moon. For various reasons, Kubrick decided to go with something else. They edited the storyboards and put a black rectangle over the diamond. The rectangle was a symbolic TBA. One day they were looking at the boards and realized that the monolith would actually look very cool.

Years later, after thousands of speculations, a fan approaches Arthur C. Clarke and tells Clarke he's unravelled the mystery. The ratio of the rectangle is 1 : 4 : 9; those are the squares of the first three numbers. Clarke liked it so much he used it himself.