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/sci/ - Science & Math

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File: 121 KB, 400x540, lightsaber.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3443822 No.3443822 [Reply] [Original]

Is a light saber a reality or just science fiction? Could it one day exist.

>> No.3443826

They already exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashlight

>> No.3443829

It's a possibility. The only problem with it is controlling the plasma once it's out of the tip. I don't know how it would just stop.

>> No.3443837

WE NEED THE CRYSTALS

>> No.3443835

>>3443822
Fantasy.

>> No.3443838

Padawan, how would one make the blade stop at a given distance? Much to learn you have.

You could have a decent laser about that size if only you could power the damn thing. It's always about power sources. But that sucker would still act like a laser, and not a blade of energy that stops three feet out and can cut through nearly anything.

You're better off with a vibroblade for now. Gotta develop the cortosis weave first, though.

>> No.3443846

>>3443837
KoTR temples and mythology deserve their own film. Fuckin politics blow.

>> No.3443848

What if the 'blade' was an ultra-intense stream of particles that decay after a certain distance. I dunno, pi-mesons or something? Not physicsfag here. The light we see is actual plasma being generated in the air as the particles ionize them.

>> No.3443861

The biggest problem is how do you explain how when the blades hit, they do not go through each other, and act like normal swords. Now, think about your answer, and answer why one side just doesn't crank up his power so he can go through his opponent's blade.

>> No.3443870

>>3443822
reality......well, could be, theory.....but, and the utility? we could make a light saber, but.....we have a jedi to use this?

>> No.3443877

>>3443870
We make the light saber first, the Jedis will come.

>> No.3443879

Couldn't you focus the blade using a parabolic ring? After all, if you can focus mutliple parabolas on a fixed point to focus massive amounts of heat or light into one area, couldn't you do the same with plasma?

>> No.3443984
File: 30 KB, 882x381, Macarico.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3443984

>> No.3443995

>>3443984
That slowly dies down the farther away from the source it gets. A light saber is the same intensity the whole length of it.

>> No.3444010

>>3443822
Suspend super heated plasma in an electromagnetic field. Problem solved. The things is it takes a factory sized power to run it for a decent amount of time.

>> No.3444011

>>3443995
That picture might be a bit off, but it's a good approximation of what a torch saber would look like. You just need a bigger noozle.

>> No.3444014

>>3444011
Somehow I don't see a torch being able to block anything, like lightsabers do.

>> No.3444015

>>3443822
Just science fiction, and retarded at that.

>> No.3444025

the sabers don't move through each other because each saber has some particle of a certain energy which has the same fermi levels as the other one so they are prevented from occupying the same space.

>> No.3444032

>>3444025
So, it's a solid.

>> No.3444038

You will never see anyone who actually knows about physics talk about "plasma" as if you could make a sword out of it.

>> No.3444043

>Shoot gun at Jedi
>Jedi tries to block the bullet with lightsaber
>Molten metal continues with trajectory to hit him

>> No.3444044

>>3443822
Could a device similar in appearance to an activated lightsaber one day exist?
Yes.
Could an actual lightsaber as described by the fiction actually exist?
No.

>> No.3444054

>>3444032
i think it can be done by cooling and compressing plasma..

>> No.3444059

>>3444043
>Jedi can see the future
>Vision clouded due to Sith
>Not being extra cautious because of this
>Not flying to the other side of the Universe to get away from the effects of the Sith

>> No.3444069

>>3444043
Or would the light saber be so hot that it causes the molten metal to "boill" (for lack of a better word) and it basically evaporates. Everything has a boiling point.

>> No.3444073

>>3444069
in the half second its within the plasma>

>> No.3444083

Lets define the traits of a light saber blade

1. The beam is practically solid, in that, if it strikes another blade it stops, and it takes some amount of effort to cut through any object.

2. It takes up a finite space, and ends maybe 3 feet beyond the hilt.

That seems fairly realistic, it just wont be a beam of light. If you just get a bar of something really really hot it will behave that way.

>> No.3444088

>>3444073
Ever slash some drops of water onto a frying pan that's hot? It almost instantly evaporates.

>> No.3444094

>>3444069
Momentum is still conserved. It's going all over that Jedi, whether it's liquid or gas he's getting blasted. Making the projectile mass very hot isn't going to make his day any better, because he's less than a foot away from the point where it is "boiled" - not enough time for the momentum to dissipate by interaction with the air.

>> No.3444104

>>3444088
Actually, no. It's an amazing phenomenon, but when the pan becomes even hotter, there is a little steam cushion between the liquid water and the pan, prolonging how long the water remains liquid.

>> No.3444106

Someone in the thread already mentioned it.

Superheated plasma. You can shape the "beam" by manipulating a magnetic field. It would be like the arcs coming off the sun to create those fire loop things. You'd just create a closed loop that starts at the emitter, goes out 3 feet and loops back around.

How you'd get it to look like a light sword and not a light ping pong paddle though I'm not sure about.

>> No.3444122

>>3444106
Not to mention where the hell that magnetic field is coming from when the beam is directly accessible from all directions except the handle.

>> No.3444139

this is /sci/ not fiction

>> No.3444142

>>3444122
massive current in the direction of the beam creates a circular field which can be used for containing right

>> No.3444145

>>3444139
We're discussing practical feasibility of a lightsaber analogue (mainly how it doesn't work).

>> No.3444147

>>3443848
Wow... are you suicidal? You'd have an insane radiation cone coming off that blade of yours from decaying pi-mesons (or w.e. particle you use). Depending on the initial momenta you give your beam, the radiation could even hit the user of the "sword"! And to kill anybody, you just have to point it in their general direction, and let the massive radiation flux kill them almost instantly.

>> No.3444150
File: 55 KB, 1914x1118, Lightsaber.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3444150

>>3444106

something like this, just make it more and more oval until it looks like that.

>> No.3444159

>>3444150
Exactly how do you plan to make such an exotically shaped magnetic field lol? You can't make a field like that with only elements inside the handle...

>> No.3444166

>>3444159
Yeah, the source of the magnetic field is the problem.

>> No.3444177

>>3444159
i don't know really, im just coming up with ideas.

>> No.3444179

>>3444159
>>3444150

Wouldnt such a magnetic field fuck everything else up? Like pull any metal with an astonishing force?

>> No.3444199

>>3444177
Yeah. Nothing wrong with exploring ideas. Still, I don't see a way to accomplish it without encasing it in electromagnets.

>> No.3444212

why didn't the jedis have it so their light sabers would extend for like 1000 feet so they could stab people from a distance?

>> No.3444224

>>3443870

>go to battlefield
>pull out light saber took billions of dollars or research and development and years to make
>get shot in the head my some terrorist with a $50 AK-47 from 30 meters away

>> No.3444229

I think we're gonna need to have the beam be composed of fermions we want to make it so two can't pass through one another. So that rules out light.

>> No.3444231
File: 50 KB, 750x600, WTF.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3444231

God you all are late it already exists in the real world.

Link

http://www.gadgez.com/misc-gadgets/plasma-knife-lightsabers-for-us-soldiers-to-cauterize-wounds.html

>> No.3444240

>>3444231
It's a plasma torch. It doesn't have the properties of lightsabers, especially blocking other lightsabers.

Also
>The Plasma Knife cuts through the fresh using its “blade” formed by the glowing ironized gas
>ironize
I fucking laughed.

>> No.3444242

>>3444240
Also
>cuts through the fresh

>> No.3444243

>>3444240

they're communications majors. they don't know how to science

>> No.3444254

>>3444224

ya, light sabers never made much sense to me to use as a primary weapon.

it would be good to keep around as a tool or a weapon of last resort or for a stealthy (if it's not dark out) kill.

but if i'm on an open field and there's 50 guys with guns, i'm not going to rush at them with a sword

>> No.3444255

Sorry couldnt find the popsci article with the better grammar.

>> No.3444265

>>3444254
>it would be good to keep around as a tool or a weapon of last resort or for a stealthy (if it's not dark out) kill.
I laughed.

A knife works far better.

>> No.3444269

>>3444254
Well no shit, even is star wars, a fantasy universe where you can use magic force power to block laser bullets, are lightsabers mostly useless (a shit ton of jedi get shot in episodes 2 and 3).

>> No.3444281

i would think it would be easy to kill a jedi.

all you need is a grenade launcher. start shooting explosive shells and you don't even need to hit them, just land one within a few meters.

or a flame thrower.

>> No.3444289

how can jedis block shots from laser blasters?

the laser blast travels at the speed of light, but they're able to notice it, react, and position their light saber at the right position to block it faster than the speed of light?

>> No.3444298

>>3444289
>the laser blast travels at the speed of light
Except they don't, in the movies. Apparently they're more like plasma bolts, however the fuck they keep that thing coherent as a projectile.

>> No.3444301

How about a gun that shoots lightsaber beams. Also i want to see a jedi deflect a 50cal round, when will we become too advanced for standard projectile weapons?

>> No.3444305

>>3444289
Jedi's have psychic powers, they block before the shot is fired.

>> No.3444320

>>3444298

wait. so an advanced civilization able to cross the vast distances of space decides to use ammunition that travels slower than a modern bullet?

>> No.3444324

>>3444301
> when will we become too advanced for standard projectile weapons?
About the time we transcend spacetime and become the Q or something. Solid matter is useful for randomizing other pieces of solid matter.

>> No.3444331

>>3444305

that's pushing it, but fair enough for a sci-fi movie.

i guess the force didn't really work too well in episodes 2 and 3.

>> No.3444336

>>3444320
Pretty much.

Terrans would rock their shit, especially on the ground. I mean, WTF was going on in that battle on Naboo? Seriously, where's the fucking artillery that goes through the shields just like the robots did?

Also, if the shield is somehow blocking all high-velocity projectiles but not low-velocity impacts, you just insert a thermobaric device. BOOM, everyone inside the shield turns into a gooey pink mist, thanks to how nicely the shield traps high-velocity motion.

>> No.3444342

>>3444289
First off its not "laser blasts" the very idea of such a thing is ridiculous. Its a small ball of superheated matter that leaves a glowing trail so it travels at sublight speeds. Second Jedi have "the force" aka magic, this enables them to position their lightsaber where the "laser blast" will be when it reaches them.

>> No.3444344

>>3444320
slower but more deadly, they can tear through nigh-invincible storm trooper armor nearly as well as ewok stone-age booby traps.

>> No.3444346

standard operating procedure for star wars and other sci-fi

set up a universe with certain rules
then discard those rules when the plot calls for it

i love how the EU books are just rehashes of the original trilogy.

hey "x" built this super weapon, now we need to send in a small team to destroy it.

they did that like 3 or 4 times

>> No.3444350

>>3444344
And yet the stormtroopers still wear the armor, for some reason.

>> No.3444358

>>3444336

aye. their ground combat is fucking ridiculous.

but where do they even have ground combat?

just bombard them with your capital ships from orbit or send in massive amounts of small attack aircraft like TIE fighters and X-Wings

>> No.3444359

>>3444346
But the EU authors keep trying to one up one another with the biggest/most powerful super weapon. I think there's some sort of overcompensation going on.

>> No.3444361

>>3444344

i see what you did there.

ya, episodes 3 and 4 were the best. return of the jedi was when things started getting retarded.

>> No.3444362

>>3444336
That would be a great parody. Maybe set within the Warhammer 40K universe.

>> No.3444374

>>3444361
Nah dude, empire is the best

>> No.3444376

>>3444374

sorry, i meant 4 and 5.

ugh, i can't believe i said 3 was good.

>> No.3444386

>>3444376
I couldn't believe it either.

>> No.3444388

if the imperial army invaded earth they would most likely get curbstomped

i think we could even prevent orbital bombardment by firing nukes at the first few. im sure they wouldnt try again

then the groundwar (if they manage a landing) would be a massacre

im not even sure they could get air superiority.. earth is heavily militarised.. AA everywhere. plus we have superior guns

>> No.3444381

>>3444358
>>3444362
Exterminatus!

I honestly don't see what the Death Star adds that orbital bombardment by a bunch of star destroyers couldn't do already. You can slag entire countries.

>> No.3444390

>>3444359

ya, the galaxy gun, the sun crusher...

god, it's like they were too scared to come up with original ideas

>> No.3444394

>>3444388

seeing as TIE fighters don't have shields (and even if they did, shields seem to do shit in SW unless the plot calls for it) any anti-aircraft gun would do the trick.

i don't know if they would be able to jam the radars/heat tracking on our missiles though

>> No.3444397

>>3444388
I mean, look at Hoth. They know where the base is, and they have to waddle into the base with hulking four-legged robots? What happened to orbital bombardment?

Artillery, all dead.

>> No.3444403

>>3444381
That's part of Tarkin's doctrine of "Power though fear, fear through power"

>> No.3444405

>>3444397
Did you miss the massive plot elements of the massive ion guns and the giant shields?

>> No.3444416

>>3444397

no artillery, no air support, no tactical planning*, no use of combined arms, and their "tanks" are designed by retards**

*look at episode 2, when the clones and robots attack each other they just line up and go head to head. that's less maneuvering than a battle in ancient rome.

**where do i start? i weapons platform that has an extremely small firing arch. it can't hit things to the side, behind it, up, or directly down. it's huge and no stealth is possible, it can easily be disabled without weapons.

>> No.3444419

>>3444403

I prefer power through a competent and effective military force.

>> No.3444425

>>3444405

send in fighters and bombers to destroy it.

or a commando team.

or a massive combined artillery, infantry, armor, and aerial attack.

>> No.3444430

>>3444419
In the course of human history do you know how few people with power had any form of competency?

>> No.3444432

­

>> No.3444434

we do have workable railgun tech too, so i suspect we could put together a working rather large railgun to fuck stuff up in orbit

>> No.3444437

>>3444430

ya, i see your point

>> No.3444446

the death star was george lucas' personification of hubris

>> No.3444509

It's thesible, but could it be controlled if it was truely just light. I bet it would involve superheated metal rods. Otherwise, a true lightsaber would be a pipe dream.

>> No.3444563

>>3444509

I hope you be trollin'

I'd hate to think an average /sci/tizen would type like that.

>> No.3444571

Clearly the lightsaber is a mass of plasma in a quantum well that falls below the false vacium of the surroundings. Light is given off as matter fall from the false vacuum into the well and it cuts through material as atoms are rendered ionized because the electrons have more energy relative to the well than the binding energy in matter. They don't cut one another because that would take enough energy to force a mass of electrons out of the well into the false vacuum of the surroundings.

>> No.3444577

>>3444571

contact with other particles would disrupt the false vacuum and i wouldn't want to be around for that

>> No.3444603

>>3444577
only a little, the well is very localized

>> No.3444697

blump

>> No.3444915

>>3443877
>Jedis
>Chineses