Measurement Units

[Cheri50000]

Hi, guys!

Question for you. Since evochron legacy came out. The measurement units like the speed of 6,000 is 600 sub sectors per second are the same in evochron legacy, right? Do you guys know how many meters is 1 subsector? Thanks!

Cheers,
Vincent

[matchbox2022]

I never met a slide-rule algorithm that couldn't be programmed into a hand-held calculator.

I nearly got fired in 1971 for breaking the four function reverse polish 8 digit mains powered calculator that cost $300 then! I was earning $1000 per year (££ equivalent!)

This made me laugh. That would be crazy to see.
Does it blow your mind calculators are dollar store items now?

[Marvin]

Do you guys know how many meters is 1 subsector? Thanks!

For my own sanity, I prefer to think in terms of sub-sectors. (After all, a meter is an Earth measurement ... possibly abandoned long ago.)

[DaveK]

Do you guys know how many meters is 1 subsector? Thanks!

For my own sanity, I prefer to think in terms of sub-sectors. (After all, a meter is an Earth measurement ... possibly abandoned long ago.)

Actually a meter is a readout thingy (e.g. voltmeter) - a metre is the SI unit of length (at least it is in the rest of the world, though I did think the USA used SI units). However given the Yank penchant for having its own versions of things - gallons for example - and spellings - aluminium spelled aluminum and sulphur spelled sulfur - I guess you guys might want to simplify for modern yoof by measuring a meter with a laser meter meter measure:P

As they say, never predict the future - you'll be wrong - but so far the metre has survived; it's the way of defining it that keeps changing. Fraction of Earth distance (pole to equator) passing through Paris (the one in France) to marks on an expensive metal rod, to multiple of a wavelength of light for a very specific electron level transition to the distance travelled by a photon in a vacuum in a very specific time. The next definition will express it by defining the speed of light in a vacuum as exactly 299 792 458 metres per sec (no decimal places allowed)

... and yes, I really am too old to change my spots - it'll always be acetone to me, none of this propan-2-one rubbish!

[Marvin]

I can see using atomic wavelengths ... some monarch on Regulus V would likely come up with the same reference for distance (but, of course, even that might vary if gravity affects wavelength). But metres (did I spell that correctly ... Chrome's spellchecker wants to change it?), like parsecs and AUs, would probably be meaningless to that monarch (and everybody else) on Regulus.

[DaveK]

parsecs are system independent being parallax based - the units of measuring the angles wouldn't be based on 360 degrees but the trig would still be valid. A right angled triangle is still right angled even if a circle is divided into any arbitrary number of degrees and Pythagorean law linking the length of the sides would still hold regardless of the unit of length chosen

AU's are definitely system (and time during the lifetime of the solar system) dependent

I don't know of any studies that show an electron transition wavelength-gravitational strength dependency; the frequency, and hence the wavelength, of the light emitted by the specified Krypton electron shell transition would be the same on Jupiter as on Earth. Hence looking at hydrogen as a universal signal for SETI. Gravitational effects only have significant effects at (very) high masses, hence the problem with integrating relativistic gravity (a la Einstein) with quantum gravity. It requires the mass of the Earth to suck us down as well as it does and even then we can jump a metre or two vertically against that gravity. Even Earth's gravity is too feeble to hold onto hydrogen and helium.

[Marvin]

Wikipedia: The parsec is defined as being equal to the length of the longer leg of an extremely elongated imaginary right triangle in space. The two dimensions on which this triangle is based are its shorter leg, of length one astronomical unit (the average Earth-Sun distance), and the subtended angle of the vertex opposite that leg, measuring one arcsecond. Applying the rules of trigonometry to these two values, the unit length of the other leg of the triangle (the parsec) can be derived.

[DaveK]

Thanks Marvin - the trig is system independent but the length of the baseline isn't! My apologies

[Marvin]

Are you sure? 'Cause I'm not. Leastwise, I'm not sure that using an arbitrary baseline must result in an arbitrary angular distance.

[DaveK]

I must admit, I thought the baseline was the diameter of the Earth's orbit - being the longest baseline you can get from ground-based telescopes; 1AU is actually half that, and hence probably chosen to give you the right angled triangle needed for the trig.

[Rubber Chicken]

I've always thought of the measurement system of Evochron as s.m.u., or standardized measurement unit. The issue is that we have no real reference as to what is considered the "base" unit ie: inch, centimeter, etc.

For all intents and purposes the base unit in Evochron is "1". Without a tangible idea of what the (game official) standardized distance is between 0 (the starting point) and 1 (the ending point) of that unit, measurement becomes rather ambiguous and relative.
I don't believe there's any written technical reference - game lore, or otherwise - that states exactly what relative ship velocity is actually related to. Are the velocity gauges relatively synchronized to the galactic center, the nearest object with mass, Earth, or something else? Even that is relative.
If science (in the future time Evochron is meant to take place) was so advanced to accurately pinpoint the center of the galaxy and galactic outer rim, divide that into a standardized unit and then calibrate to it, how would that frame of reference change if the center of the universe was identified and coupled with the farthest known object from that point?
To boot, that's assuming the universe actually has a 'center' per se, which opens up a whole new can of worms regarding what point-to-point distance should be accepted as the standard mega-distance reference point to be chopped into a convenient hand-held measuring stick.

Distance traveled and velocity can be a completely different experience of perception among pilots when traveling without exterior visual reference and eliminating usage of the Nav map to gauge progress.

I generally think of in-game measurement as generically as possible. As long as the little numbers tell me I'm not too close to the atmosphere or a star, or too fast to change course effectively, come to a stop, or position myself relative to another ship/object how/when I want to, it doesn't really mean that much to me.

[Marvin]

Which is why the Navigator's Assistant uses the sector as a reference. Although (now that I think of it) according to The Cosmic Glitch, the center of the Evoverse has been identified.

[DaveK]

I thought that Sapphire - the most developed system - was simply chosen to be the centre of the Evoverse, not the centre of the galaxy - ie the centre of the Evoverse is defined as the location of Sapphire and given the coordinates 0 0 0

Speed units and distance units and size units are different - knowing a capital ship is around 2km long, I time a lateral drift @ (say) 100 or 500) from one end to the other and determined the conversion factor to turn speed units (distance/time) into size units (metres)

I seem to remember from EM discussions that speed is measured in units of decametres/second - 1/10 is certainly the conversion factor I need to get the ship sizes correct

[Marvin]

Certainly, size units are different. Who would want to think of a command ship as being .005 (or whatever) sub-sectors long?

[DaveK]

How's about Carriers at 9 km!! Big beasts; in fact the biggest ships in the Evoverse