Sci-tech idea

[dbutler1986]

What about an article on polarized hull plating? I'm a little unclear on how it might work; perhaps some famous DITL speculation?

[Reliant121]

Famous writers ignoring canon, if you ask me.

[dbutler1986]

We still have to rationalize it if we want to integrate it into the Trek universe.

[Reliant121]

True. I raerly get involved in these technobabble debates but Oh well, here we go.

The Plates would likely be constructed of some easily chargable material. They charge it with...uh something...and polarize the energy flow. The polarity absorbs the energy of weapons fire or something... I dunno. This is why i don't bother with technobabble. I'm crap at it.

[dbutler1986]

A friend of mine once speculated that they polarized the molecules in the metal - aligning them in that way might theoretically increase the density, and thereby their resilience to weapons fire. (Though it wouldn't account for the pretty blue glow....Cherenkov radiation, perhaps? ;P It's my catch-all for any pretty blue unexplainable glow...)

[Captain Seafort]

I don't recall any glow from Enterprise.

Anyway, Cherenkov radiation is caused by particles passing through a medium faster than the speed of light in that medium, so that can't be the cause.

[dbutler1986]

I know; that's why it's a catch-all for anything unexplainable...it's a joke.

I'm watching season 1 of Ent now, and when they take hits to the hull from particle weapons while the plates are polarized, there's a blue glow as if from a hull-hugging shield.

[Mikey]

Actually, "polarizing" the molecules in a particular material would cause them to have a LESS dense construction, no? Similar to how ice is less dense than water.

[dbutler1986]

Only if the material is polar - the reason ice is less dense is because the water molecules repel each other. I think of "polarization" in this case as *aligning* them, not causing them to have magnetic poles.

[Mikey]

Right - but aligning them doesn't create more of them. You'd still have MORE space between molecules when they are aligned, not LESS.

[dbutler1986]

There wouldn't be any more space between them. Aligning them would cause them to come closer together. If they're all arranged lengthwise, they can fall closer together. If they aren't repelling each other because of being magnetically polar, like water molecules, there'd be no reason for them to get farther apart.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Maybe it's just a nickname. Like how in The Hunt for Red October it was called a Catapiller drive even though it used Hydrodynamic propulsion(I think) and had nothing to do with catapillers. Purhaps one of the people working on the project was reminded of something like polorized windshields.

[Sionnach Glic]

I think that's the sanest and easiest explaination in this case.

[Reliant121]

Maybe it's just a nickname. Like how in The Hunt for Red October it was called a Catapiller drive even though it used Hydrodynamic propulsion(I think) and had nothing to do with catapillers. Purhaps one of the people working on the project was reminded of something like polorized windshields.

I love that film.

[Sionnach Glic]

Indeed, a great movie.