cerebus99
- Entertainment & Gaming
The Science of Star Trek
As a long-time aficionado of the original Star Trek series, it's always exciting for me when I hear that Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are going to make a reappearance on the big screen. Although it'll be a bit strange without William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy running the show, what recourse is there? We've got the next generation playing the previous one. Anyway, in the trailer we get a glimpse of the juvenile origins of the future Captain Kirk's daredevil thrill-seeking persona, not to mention his incredible physical prowess. In the scene in question we see young James T. leap out of his classic convertible sports coupe moments before it projects itself off of a several-thousand-foot precipice. James saves himself by gripping the sandy ground and pulling himself to a stop just as he reaches the edge of the cliff.
12.22.2008 at 12:53pm - Comment by cerebus99I believe the key assumption made by the author, the speed at which the car goes over the cliff, is flawed. If you look at 27s into the clip, you will see the car is tilted at an angle of at least 45 degrees, yet half of it still appears to be on solid ground. If it were indeed moving at the assumed speed of 32 m/s it wouldn't 'topple' over the edge, it would fly off, and the degree of downward tilt of the car from the perspective of the cliff edge would not be near that high. That said, there appears to be a disconnect between the speed of the car in the previous frame as it skids towards the edge, and the speed of the car as it falls off the ledge which the downshifting, braking and friction cannot seemingly account for.
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