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Lucian Solutions – 04

Lucian Solutions 04

Lucian Solutions Number 04

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The Question

By Baxter – If dropped into Earth’s atmosphere, would a kernel of popcorn, pop, before being incinerated by re-entry?

The Answer

It would not be able to pop because the water would evaporate and crack the shell. The vacuum of space would cause the water inside the kernel to begin to evaporate and off-gas. The gaseous water will cool and expand the inside surface of the shell (the weakest strength side of the shell) causing irregular internal pressure which will crack the shell. This would remove both of the necessary elements for popping a kernel of corn. Both are likely to happen, but if either the water escapes or the shell cracks, then the kernel cannot pop. Therefore, since at least one of these would occur over the time from tossing the kernel overboard to its eventual re-entry, it would incinerate and never pop.

Decision Tree
Decision tree for popcorn in space

Immediately upon tossing into space
1 – Shell cracks from internal off-gassing pressure
2 – Shell remains intact

A – Internal moisture slowly freezes and cracks shell
B – Internal moisture slowly freezes but shell remains intact
      This will cause some kernels never to pop.
i – Kernel will not pop due to being frozen
ii – Frozen kernel still viable
a – Aerodynamically stable free-fall of frozen intact kernel
1 – Heat applied quickly to one side of shell
This will cause the frozen moisture to act as an insulator which will result in the shell heating unevenly. Vapor pressure from the melting moisture under the front of the shell combined with temperature differentials between the front and the back of the kernel (which is still frozen) will crack the shell.
2 – Heat applied slowly to one side of shell,
This will cause more moisture to begin to melt. The reduced exterior pressure and the temperature difference between the front and the back of the shell will cause irregular internal pressure and the shell will crack. (This is why you must cook them in oil – to spread the heat over the outside of the kernel and prevent scorching on one side.)
b – Aerodynamically unstable free-fall of frozen intact kernel
1 – Heat applied quickly to all sides of shell
This will cause the shell to heat before the inside moisture can melt. The temperature over time differential for the heating of the shell and the warming of the moisture inside the kernel do not match. In order to pop, the shell must be heated (but remain intact) until the inside moisture reaches the vapor pressure and temperature to explode. On the planet, the atmospheric pressure will assist in holding the shell together until the moisture pressure is heated past boiling. The reduced pressure would allow the slowly melting moisture to go straight to vapor, however. As soon as it surpassed the internal pressure capacity of the kernel it would burst the shell. It would do this before the interior had reached the temperature necessary to do this on earth, because the pressure is lower. Therefore the kernel would not pop.
2 – Heat applied slowly to all sides of shell
This will cause more of the internal moisture to begin to heat. The reduced pressure will cause the moisture to evaporate at a lower temperature. The internal pressure will reach the bursting fatigue point before the internal temperature reaches the same point necessary to cause popping on the planet. This means the bursting fatigue point / internal temperature profiles will not be the same for a kernel in space and a kernel on the planet surface. This profile is unique to each kernel but has a range within which the kernel will pop. Only this profile range will allow for popping.
a – The internal temperature / bursting pressure profile does not match the parameters needed for popping to occur
b – The internal temperature /bursting pressure profile does match the parameters needed for popping to occur
***********
IT POPS
***********

For this last phenomenon to occur, the kernel would have to be heated at the exact rate necessary to heat and melt the interior moisture, taking into account the lower vapor pressure needed to break the shell.

calculated probability = 0.000000164 = 0.0000164 %
0.000000164     = 1.6 out of 10,000,000 chance
to make it even    = 8.0 out of 50,000,000 chance

September 15, 2008 | Filed Under Audio Files, Lucian Solutions | 2 Comments 

DPTV-203-2008-09-12

Planet TV Show

Episode 203

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September 12, 2008 | Filed Under PTV 2008, Video Files | Leave a Comment 

The Ancients of Eden – Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Planet TV Show

Chapter Twenty of The Ancients of Eden, written and read by Lucian

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Written Excerpt

Dwayne nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah… I know.” Then he looks out the front window at the sun, which is about halfway down the horizon and dropping fast. “But that’s not really what I meant. We started this trip over a year ago. I’ve had lots of time to think about how I ended up here.” He sits back again and takes another long sip of Scotch. He could feel the old emotions starting to rise – fueled by the post-trauma stress and the alcohol. “It’s not my bad judgment and bad decisions that I’m talking about.”

Marshall raises his eyebrows at him, as the cigar tip glows bright red sticking out the corner of his mouth.

Dwayne sees his interest is piqued, and even though he doesn’t know what Marshall’s political inclination is, he decides to forge ahead anyway.

“It was actually the President that I’m talking about – well, the last one. The one who screwed up the Katrina disaster.”

Now Marshall is interested. He had his own experiences with that particular man. And they weren’t good. “How so?”

“I was the lead attorney that won the class action suit against the government. I did that by showing that the President made bad judgments and decisions during that crisis.”

“I remember hearing about that. But I was always wondering how that worked. I mean, a couple of thousand people died, but how’d you get a jury to find him responsible for that?”

Dwayne takes a long puff and slowly exhales. “I didn’t. The settlement went to the victims of Katrina. All of them from every state got some. But lawsuit was over the Port of New Orleans – not the people”

This caused Marshall to stop for a moment. “The Port?”

Dwayne smiles a little. Nobody thought he had a chance with the lawsuit. And then he won the massive settlement. Then the legal pundits chimed in. And their conclusion was: his strategy truly was a stroke of genius.

Next Chapter

Jay-L confronts the President again….

September 1, 2008 | Filed Under Ancients of Eden, Audio Files | 3 Comments