A "Dyson Sphere" is a purely hypothetical object for the straightforward reason that it refers to a structure built to encompass an entire star in order to capture as much of its radiation as possible. Freeman Dyson, an actual physicist, didn't invent the concept named after him but he did seriously think that as the energy requirements of a technically advanced civilization grew, it would perforce be obliged to this expedient. He thought that it would be a good signature to look for when searching for alien civilizations. In other words, a Dyson Sphere is an extrapolation of "the march of progress" to an absurd degree.
And yes, I realize that you probably meant to refer to R. Buckminster Fuller. But you gave me an excuse ... :-)
So it's just a geodesic sphere then, right? (I've tried to toe the line with this post between "learning enough to know what I'm talking about" and "falling down a massive rabbit hole of Disney-related lore from which I might never return...")
That's right, "geodesic dome". Fuller coined the term but was not the first person to build one.
The term is jarring to me because in mathematics it means the shortest curve between two points, particularly in the context of a Riemannian manifold, where the shortest distance is not a straight line. In Einstein's theory of gravity, gravity is not a force, it is the curvature of space, and the feel of the earth pressing against the soles of our feet is the force needed to push us off our geodesic. The connection to the dome isn't obvious to me. I mean, obviously the shortest distance between two points on a sphere is not straight if you are constrained to stay on the sphere, but what's special about the dome? That's just a universal property of spheres.
Good point about not spending too many brain cells on Disney-related lore though.
A "Dyson Sphere" is a purely hypothetical object for the straightforward reason that it refers to a structure built to encompass an entire star in order to capture as much of its radiation as possible. Freeman Dyson, an actual physicist, didn't invent the concept named after him but he did seriously think that as the energy requirements of a technically advanced civilization grew, it would perforce be obliged to this expedient. He thought that it would be a good signature to look for when searching for alien civilizations. In other words, a Dyson Sphere is an extrapolation of "the march of progress" to an absurd degree.
And yes, I realize that you probably meant to refer to R. Buckminster Fuller. But you gave me an excuse ... :-)
Good note, thanks!
So it's just a geodesic sphere then, right? (I've tried to toe the line with this post between "learning enough to know what I'm talking about" and "falling down a massive rabbit hole of Disney-related lore from which I might never return...")
That's right, "geodesic dome". Fuller coined the term but was not the first person to build one.
The term is jarring to me because in mathematics it means the shortest curve between two points, particularly in the context of a Riemannian manifold, where the shortest distance is not a straight line. In Einstein's theory of gravity, gravity is not a force, it is the curvature of space, and the feel of the earth pressing against the soles of our feet is the force needed to push us off our geodesic. The connection to the dome isn't obvious to me. I mean, obviously the shortest distance between two points on a sphere is not straight if you are constrained to stay on the sphere, but what's special about the dome? That's just a universal property of spheres.
Good point about not spending too many brain cells on Disney-related lore though.
This was a lovely Saturday-morning read. Thanks.
One can only hope...