https://watervole.dreamwidth.org/ Judith Proctor's Journal - Dreamwidth Studios Mon, 02 May 2022 15:47:23 GMT LiveJournal / Dreamwidth Studios watervole personal https://v2.dreamwidth.org/134701/150767 https://watervole.dreamwidth.org/ 100 100 https://watervole.dreamwidth.org/697259.html Mon, 02 May 2022 15:47:23 GMT https://watervole.dreamwidth.org/697259.html <p>&nbsp;I love reading Becky Chamber's novels, but I'm finding a common flaw in several of them - perpetual motion machines.</p><p>Sidra human form AI, in A Closed and Common Orbit, generates power by harvesting kinetic energy when she moves, but the energy cost of moving will be far greater than that harvested - and that's not allowing for the power requirement of data processing, etc.</p><p>Ships in the fleet generates energy from water flowing from the centre to the outside - the ships used to spin, so it would effectively be flowing downhill - but that same water would have to be pumped back uphill for recycling.</p><p>Similar problem with the first Monk and Robot book.&nbsp; No way are a couple of small solar panels going to power his bike (which is pulling a fair size load) and the other stuff he has with him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Who has spotted similar gaffes in other novels?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=watervole&ditemid=697259" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments https://watervole.dreamwidth.org/697259.html science public 7