Fun With Numbers AKA Shinzon's Gonna Die of Old Age.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-03-09 10:44am

OK, in a thread on The Other Message Board, it was discussing the Scimitar versus the DeathStar. This spurred in me a thought and a absolutely funny one as well. During StarTrek Nemesis, it took the Scimitar 7 minutes to charge up it's Thaleron Toaster enough to be able to wipe out the Enterprise. It's supposed to be able to cook a planet as well, so is the claim. But I was thinking. Planets are big. Damn big. Colossally big, compared to the Enterprise. Naturally, it's going to take longer for the Scimitar to charge up in order to barbeque the Earth. Right? So I assumed a linear relationship between the volume effected and the charge time and went at it.

OK, first, I wanted to determine the volume of the Enterprise. I've been informed that it's 680 by 240 by 87 meters. Because of the sheer scale of a planet, however, I'm going to knock it to kilometers now and save myself a tiny bit of trouble later. So that's .68 by .24 by .087 km. Now, the Enterprise isn't a box, so I can't just multiply them and call that the volume. But I'm going to make the guessimation that if it were put in such a box, it would fill it about 3/4ths the volume. Is that fair?

OK, so it's (and tell me if I fucked up the math anywhere and I'm rounded to the third place):
(.68 x .24 x .087)(.75) =
(.014)(.75) = .011 km³

Right, so the guessimated volume of the Enterprise is .011 km³. Now we have a ratio! So it's .011 km³ per 7 min of charge time.

But what of the Earth? According to the Planetary fact sheet, the Earth has a mean radius of 6371.0 km. We need to find the surface area, then calculate land area. The Earth is 70% covered in water, so I'm just going to assume he Toaster Ovens the land parts where people live.

So:
(4 x pi x (6371)²)(.7) =
(4 x 3.142 x 40,589,641)(.7) =
(510,130,608.088)(.7) = 357,091,425.662 km²

Fabulous. Now lets say that he's got to irradiate a kilometer high, just to cube that. So the Scimitar needs to zap 357,091,425.662 km³. This volume is a good bit larger than the Enterprise, eh?

Anyway:
(357,091,425.662 / .011) = 32,462,856,878.327

That's right, the volume is 32,462,856,878.327 that of the Enterprise. Multiply that times 7 minutes and we get 227,239,998,148.290 minutes. That's 432,048 years and change!

(Disclaimer: this thread is rated not-to-serious. The numbers, to the best of my admittedly rusty ability are real, but I'm just having a bit of fun. Flame and look like a fool.)

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-03-09 12:48pm

I would expect that the medusa radiation weapon does not have any sort of half-charge, and that it was being charged for a full planet-killing blast to zap the E-E.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-09 12:55pm

Howedar wrote:I would expect that the medusa radiation weapon does not have any sort of half-charge, and that it was being charged for a full planet-killing blast to zap the E-E.

That what I thought. Given the ships considerable combat capability and cloak, adjustable power isn't a very useful feature but would add complexity. All major habitable worlds should be about the same size, and lesser colonies or sealed environments can be destroyed using the ships normal weaponry.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-03-09 01:02pm

Still, its a funny little calculation and amusing to read.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-03-09 01:45pm

Note to self: Before embarking on a plot to take over the world, remember to charge the doomsday weapon.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-03-09 03:01pm

Alyeska wrote:Still, its a funny little calculation and amusing to read.

Yes, it is that

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-03-09 06:50pm

While amusing, I would postulate that the weapon was specifically designed to destroy a planet, and had no form of "variable yield" ability.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-03-09 07:48pm

[trekwanking]
But Ossus, all Trekweapons have variable yield settings! and they're always used on very low yield!
[/trekwanking]

FaxModem1 · Post by **FaxModem1** » 2003-03-10 08:01am

I may be wrong here, but wasn't the reason the Scimitar took so long to set up was the Enterprise and the two Valdores had damaged it A LOT?

especially the Enterprise ramming part, that was what probably busted it.

Velthuijsen · Post by **Velthuijsen** » 2003-03-10 07:35pm

That is debatable.
The enterprise crew analysis says it takes 7 mins to get the projector arms in position.
Just so happens that the mixing of the thalaron seems to take just as long.

So on one point you can say it will take just 7 mins to kill of earth.
On the other you can say it will take longer since you need to brew more of this toxin.