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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Masao: [QB] I don't think there should be that much difference (a factor of around 30?) in the densities of large and small ships. They both have a lot of the same components (if the shuttes are warp capable) that should only differ in relative size or in relative amounts. But of course there are reasons to make ships lighter. Just because they're operating at warp speeds doesn't mean we can completely ignore mass and force relationships. Even at warp speed heavier ships should take more energy to move than lighter ships. TSN: I don't understand your reference to gravitational effects here. Are you saying that since starships don't have to float we can make them as massive as we like? Actually, I would expect seagoing ships to be more robustly constructed than starships. The forces exerted on your hull in the vacuum of space would probably be less than those exerted by water. Look at the lunar module, whose walls were made of foil: it would get ripped apart in either the air of the water. Hulls in Star Trek don't seem to be any thicker than those of modern ships. In Star Trek, you also have energetic shielding and structural integrity fields, which would decrease the need for strength in the materials used. The Sovereign class even does away with physical windows in some cases. Although we can't be sure what happens at warp, I don't think we've seen any indication that forces are so much stronger than those exerted by air or water. By the way I'm proud to say I'm one of those dumb schmucks who's spent hours and hours trying to figure out how much a starship weighs. However, I can't say that the world is a better place for mine having done so... [/QB][/QUOTE]
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