In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Starkiller base literally absorbs a star to power a superweapon. Now we all know the Star Wars movies require a substantial suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable (and they certainly are wonderful when taken as science fantasy), but for a moment, let�s unsuspend our disbelief and examine this scenario. Just how much would it increase the gravitic pull on the surface of the planet? So here�s today�s problem: There are two ways to solve this problem. I�ll do the harder one first, then the easier one. As I do this, remember weight is a force � the attraction of your mass to the Earth�s (or whatever body you�re standing on). In metric, weight is measured in Newtons. In Imperial, pounds serves for weight (part of why the imperial system is so bad � it tries to make pounds serve for both mass and weight, when the two are completely different properties). To do this the longer, harder way, we must use the the formula for gravitic force felt between two masses (where G represents the universal gravitational constant, m1 and m2 the two masses, and d the distance between the two objects centers of mass):

G is a known quantity, and is 6.673x10-11Nm2/kg2 Let�s define m1 as the mass of the star. One solar mass is 1.989x1030kg. We actually aren�t even going to add in the mass of the earth, as it is 6 orders of magnitude small than that of the sun. Which means in that scientific notation, its first digit doesn�t even show up for 3 more digits. cari vacuum cleaner murah That leaves m2 as the mass of the person: 100kg. hoover bagless vacuum cleaners reviewsAnd the distance is the radius of the earth (the distance from the Earth�s center of mass to yours is essentially one earth radius): 6.371x106 meters.hitachi industrial vacuum cleaner Note I�m working in meters and kg to stay consistent with the units of the universal gravitational constant.

Also note that all units cancel except Newtons when we do this. So let�s just plug all of those in, and we get 3.270x108 Newtons: That�s not very intuitive, at least not for Americans. Since we�re used to working in pounds, and even in metric countries, we�re used to saying we �weigh� so-and-so many kilograms, what does that really mean? Well, let�s divide it by the acceleration due to gravity at one earth mass. This will yield an answer in effective kilograms, which will give us a better idea of how much the person�s weight has increased: It�s still in the order of magnitude of 107, which means he weighs over 3x105 times as much. That�s three hundred thousand times more weight. I certainly doubt anyone would be able to stand on the surface of Starkiller Base after the star was absorbed if we didn�t suspend our disbelief so we can enjoy the fantasy of the movie. Thank goodness we do. Now that we�ve done it that way, let�s do the easier way. Just as the Earth�s mass is insignificant to the Sun�s, so yours is to the Earth�s.

By orders of magnitude, it doesn�t even begin to compare. So when we use that formula for gravitational force, your mass practically doesn�t even effect it, and the difference between your mass and another�s doesn�t effect it either. That�s why your teachers confidently use the same figure for acceleration due to gravity on Earth�s surface for pretty much everything, regardless of how much its mass is. So, knowing that, let�s use a different formula for force, and just compare the suns mass to the Earth�s. Well, the sun is 332,946 times the mass of the earth. If we multiply that by the 9.8m/s2 figure we use for the acceleration due to gravity on the earth�s surface, we have the new acceleration due to gravity. Now we can just use good ol� Newton�s Second Law to calculate the fellow�s weight after Starkiller Base has absorbed the star: And lo and behold, we get essentially the same thing we did before. In fact, it�s the difference in the mass of the Earth and Sun that is the difference in the poor individual�s weight.

So we didn�t have to do much calculation to begin with. But, thank goodness Star Wars is fantasy, and we really don�t have to worry about scientific accuracy to enjoy it. Because, man, was that freaking cool to see a star getting sucked into a giant planetary vacuum cleaner.Take two women, both of whom weigh 123 pounds and stand five-foot seven. One looks heavy, and the other one looks trim. What accounts for the difference? Before the industrial age — when we began figuring out a variety of ways to make machines do the work we previously had to do for ourselves — everyone,  man woman and child, had leaner more muscular bodies. Whether you were walking great distances, or hauling wood for fire or shelter, or bending over constantly, humans were always in motion. Today for so many of us, toned arms, legs, hips, backs and shoulders have given way to all those obvious and not so obvious places where fat accumulates on our bodies. A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle, just like a pound of marshmallows weighs the same as a pound of rocks.

The difference is that a bag holding a pound of fat (just like the one holding a pound of marshmallows) has to be a lot bigger than the bag holding a pound of muscle or rocks. That same space requirement plays out when applied to our bodies. Those two women, both weighing 123 pounds, have completely different shapes, largely because one is fat dominant and the other is muscle dominant. But that pound of muscle — besides making you look leaner — does one other wonderful thing for you: we burn approximately 2 calories a day for each pound of fat that we carry, but for each pound of muscle, we burn 50 calories per day. So muscle pays big dividends in allowing us to consume more calories each day without having to “watch our weight.” That said, if our two women (one a gym regular and the other…not) had a difference of ten pounds of muscle and fat, the leaner one could consume 480 calories more per day, without gaining an ounce. At this point you’re probably wondering, how can I get some more of that calorie-burning muscle, and lose some to this unproductive fat.

In truth, muscle tone can be gained in a variety of ways. But now that we’re no longer hauling water or firewood up to our camp, or beating laundry against river rocks, we have to be a little more creative. Thank goodness that there’s a booming exercise industry, which has gotten creative for us and provided us with countless ways to move, lift, and stretch. When you’re not at your desk, not on the couch, and not sitting on a bus, train, or in your own car, there’s a good chance you’re doing things that will add to your muscle tone. From working in the garden to pushing a vacuum cleaner, from washing the car to cleaning the windows, you’re raising your level of muscle tone. However, the problem with daily chores is you’d have to do more of them then there are hours in the day to achieve the kind of tone you’d like to see. That said, the fast way to add muscle is through more pronounced acts of exertion. Those shoulders on swimmers are no accident. Those calf and glut muscles on runners and distance walkers are no coincidence.