2001: A Space Odyssey

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2001 A Space Odyssey
Good Fizzix or Bad?
or Is There Sound In Space?
A Presentation by M2
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"Plot" Summary

• Movie shows evolution of mankind throughout the
  ages
• Begins with first, apelike humans, ends in space
• In movie, there are three mysterious monoliths,
  appearing on Earth as well as the Moon, that
  puzzles everyone
• Group of men go on mission to Jupiter (with
  computer HAL 9000) in order to figure out the
  mystery behind the monoliths

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1st Video Clip
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How Does Sound Work?

• Sound is made up of longitudinal (vibrations are
  parallel to the direction of wave motion) waves
• Human ear can only hear sound waves with
  frequencies between 20 and 20,000 Hz
• Sound waves need a medium to travel through in
  order to move

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How Does Sound Work? (cont.)

• Sound waves travel by bumping air molecules
  together
• Air molecules vibrate, and the energy of sound
  travels between them in the form of a
  longitudinal wave
• Travels as waves of alternating pressures, called
  compressions and rarefactions

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Why Sound Cannot Exist in Space

• Waves must travel through a medium
• Sound travels through air, but there is no air in
  space
• Although there are scattered particles
  throughout, they are too distant and few for
  sound waves to travel through them and cause them
  to vibrate
• Sound is a wave of alternating density, a
  material with density is needed to have sound,
  emptiness or a vacuum has no density

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2nd Video Clip
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Can A Space Station Recreate Gravity?

• A person feels the force of gravity, that they
  have weight, as long as there is a force pushing
  on their feet
• The centripetal force keeps the person traveling
  in a circle (otherwise they would just fly off in
  a straight line)
• Wall of station exerts normal force (same as
  centripetal force)
• Gravity felt is actually a result of the
  inertia of wanting to travel in a straight line
  but being kept in a circular path

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(No Transcript)
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Calculations and Analysis (cont.)

• Needs to be at least radius of 224 m (very large
  space station) in order to avoid the Coriolis
  Effect (nausea, dizziness) and maintain 1 g force
• Would need to rotate at constant speed of about
  12 rpm in order to maintain the force of Earths
  gravity
• In movie, ship is clearly not this big
• Crew would suffer disorientation, nausea,
  dizziness, and other ailments

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3rd Video Clip
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Fizzix in this Scene, Good or Bad?

• Popular misconceptions about exposure to space
• Human would instantly freeze
• Eyeballs would bulge out
• Blood would boil
• Would die within seconds

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What Would ACTUALLY Happen?

• We know from extensive testing (often involving
  animals) and accidental human exposure
• Log of Russian cosmonauts who experienced the
  vacuum of space firsthand
• This caused the cabin to lose all its
  atmosphere in about 30 seconds while still at a
  height of 168 km. In seconds, Patsayev realized
  the problem and unstrapped from his seat to try
  and cover the valve inlet and shut off the valve
  but there was little time left. It would take 60
  seconds to shut off the valve manually and
  Patsayev managed to half close it before passing
  out. Dobrovolsky and Volkov were virtually
  powerless to help since they were strapped in
  their seats, with little room to move in the
  small capsule and no real way to assist Patsayev.
  The men died shortly after passing out.

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What Would ACTUALLY Happen? (cont.)

• Gases inside body would expand due to external
  pressure
• Moisture in victims eyes and mouth would boil
  away, parts of body would swell
• First 10 seconds would just be uncomfortable
• After that, however, permanent damage begins to
  occur
• Would experience hypoxia (skin turns blue,
  blindness occurs)
• After about 90 seconds, blood pressure lowers
  enough so that blood boils
• Heart stops

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What Would ACTUALLY Happen? (cont.)

• In scene, Dave holds his breath before exposing
  himself
• Holding breath will produce permanent damage to
  lungs, cause them to rupture due to imbalance in
  pressure
• Body doesnt instantly freeze because of the
  insulating effects of the circulatory system and
  the body, same with blood boiling
• Would likely die from asphyxiation (no blood
  reaching the brain) before freezing

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Conclusion

• Minor factual errors
• However, represented a large step towards
  scientific accuracy in movies
• Most of the fizzix and science are correct
• Can only hope other filmmakers will perfect to an
  even greater degree scientific accuracy in movies