Futurama   Planet Express Employee Lounge
The Futurama Message Board

Design and Support by Can't get enough Futurama
Help Search Futurama chat Login Register

PEEL - The Futurama Message Board    General Futurama Forum Category    Re-Check/Weird Scenes    Love and Rocket Nitpick « previous next »
Author Topic: Love and Rocket Nitpick  (Read 1118 times)
Pages: [1] Print
Hedonism Bot

Bending Unit
***
« on: 01-26-2005 16:02 »

When the PE Ship is chasing Bender through the virtual circuitry world, Bender runs into a diode which has the effect of a wall, as he runs into it the wrong way. This was mentioned in the commentaries as one of the nerdiest jokes in the show. However...

A diode ->|- will stop traditional current going from right to left. Bender and the PE Ship were representations of, if I remember the PE Ship's words correctly, "ions", which means that they were travelling in the direction of electron flow. An electron isn't exactly the same as an ion, but they're both charged particles, so I'll assume writer's license. Electrons flow in the opposite way to traditional current, which means that Bender would have had no problem with the diode in that position.
MrMoose

Starship Captain
****
« Reply #1 on: 01-26-2005 16:13 »

I'm proud to say, I understood almost nothing of what you just said....mainly because I'm stupid.
tire
Delivery Boy
**
« Reply #2 on: 01-26-2005 16:30 »

you're correct. 
............................. ................
Hedonism Bot

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #3 on: 01-26-2005 16:54 »

Who is, me or MrMoose?

I tried to explain it in layman's terms, but I'll try again.

Diodes are marked according to traditional current direction, positive to negative. The actual flow of electrons is from negative to positive. Therefore, as Bender was represented as an electron-type impulse, the diode that stopped him should have been the other way around.
Nerd-o-rama

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #4 on: 01-26-2005 18:28 »

I'm not exactly sure how sign conventions work in circuits, but I'm assuming that Bender was a "positive" ion, flowing in the direction of traditional current flow.  I mean, that makes sense, that they'd be traveling along the circuits in the standard direction of current rather than against it.

In other words, Bender's little avatar-ion thingy was flowing with the current, not against it, because that's how little avatar-ion thingies work.

Man, I should really pay more attention in E&M* physics.

*Before someone asks, that's "electricity and magnetism," the second half of traditional High School/College Freshman physics.
Jicannon

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #5 on: 01-26-2005 19:57 »

Wouldn't you have saved more time by typing "Man, I should really pay more attention in Electricity and Magnetism physics" rather than *ing it?  :p
Nerd-o-rama

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #6 on: 01-26-2005 22:55 »
« Last Edit on: 01-26-2005 22:55 »

No. 

Plus I've been reading a lot of Pratchett* lately.

*Terry Pratchett, author of the critically acclaimed Discworld novels.  He loves his footnotes.
Hedonism Bot

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #7 on: 01-27-2005 12:08 »

I thought that electricity was the flow of electrons, rather tham the positive ions; although, I suppose it could work the other way.
Nerd-o-rama

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #8 on: 01-27-2005 14:17 »

Well, yes, electricity is the energy of electrons, which are negatively charged.
Quote
Originally posted by Hedonism Bot
Electrons flow in the opposite way to traditional current
Which means that current is said to flow, by common convention, in the direction that positively charged particles do (or would, anyway, if there happened to be any moving along the circuit.  I forget whether they actually do when the circuit is conducting electricity.  Obviously, they do anyway on the show because of Plot Contrivance.)

If you don't get it:

Wizards.
Sil

Professor
*
« Reply #9 on: 01-28-2005 06:59 »

^
Pratchett's explanation.
David A

Space Pope
****
« Reply #10 on: 01-28-2005 07:58 »

Maybe scientists in the future changed electricity so that electrons now flow from positive to negative, just like how they increased the speed of light.
Hedonism Bot

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #11 on: 01-28-2005 10:44 »

That would make physics a whole lot easier; a pox on Faraday and his kind for mucking up electron flow.
Teral

Helpy McHelphelp
DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #12 on: 02-01-2005 14:32 »

Maybe they used positrons in 31st centure electronics, which would then be called positronics, making Isaac Asimov spin in his grave (or jar for that matter, but not anti-matter).

Okay, I'll stop now...
RS 2thou

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #13 on: 02-04-2005 06:28 »

I didnt understand most of it, probably because I kinda suck at science
David A

Space Pope
****
« Reply #14 on: 02-04-2005 09:30 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Teral:
Maybe they used positrons in 31st centure electronics, which would then be called positronics, making Isaac Asimov spin in his grave (or jar for that matter, but not anti-matter).

Okay, I'll stop now...

There's no part of that post that I didn't like.    :D
Hedonism Bot

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #15 on: 02-04-2005 17:31 »

Would there be any advantage to using positrons?
Teral

Helpy McHelphelp
DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #16 on: 02-05-2005 10:25 »

It's a wonderful way of turning even the simplest electronic device into a weapon of mass destruction. Unless you build the entire gadget of anti-matter, which would then make it an even bigger weapon of mass destruction.

Then again if Lt.Cmdr. Data is anyrhing to go by, positronics would be a revolution bigger than the transistor.

But other than that, no, there wouldn't be any advantages.
Chug a Bug

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #17 on: 02-12-2005 07:48 »
« Last Edit on: 02-12-2005 07:48 »

     
Quote
Originally posted by Hedonism Bot:
When the PE Ship is chasing Bender through the virtual circuitry world, Bender runs into a diode which has the effect of a wall, as he runs into it the wrong way. This was mentioned in the commentaries as one of the nerdiest jokes in the show. However...

A diode ->|- will stop traditional current going from right to left. Bender and the PE Ship were representations of, if I remember the PE Ship's words correctly, "ions", which means that they were travelling in the direction of electron flow. An electron isn't exactly the same as an ion, but they're both charged particles, so I'll assume writer's license. Electrons flow in the opposite way to traditional current, which means that Bender would have had no problem with the diode in that position.

Wow this is a really nerdy question. Erm..... if I understand your question correctly "current" flows from positive to negative not "right to left". The arrow on a diode symbol is alligned with the "current" flow not the electron flow. So I guess it depends on how you interpret the scene, is Bender travelling in a "conventional current" sense or an "electron flow" sense?

 
Quote
Originally posted by Teral:
Maybe they used positrons in 31st centure electronics, which would then be called positronics, making Isaac Asimov spin in his grave (or jar for that matter, but not anti-matter).

Okay, I'll stop now...

Well... Positrons are anti-matter.

In anycase in order to have a positron flow you'd have to have anti-protons and neutrons as well, full blown anti-ions in fact?

Ok I'll stop now...
Chug a Bug

Bending Unit
***
« Reply #18 on: 02-12-2005 07:54 »
« Last Edit on: 02-12-2005 07:54 »

       
Quote
Originally posted by Hedonism Bot:
I thought that electricity was the flow of electrons, rather tham the positive ions; although, I suppose it could work the other way.

"Electricity" is a general term. If you mean how is electricity conducted then yes its usually the flow of electrons. Positive ions do not generally move, the common exeptions are a plasma or an electrolyte.

     
Quote
Originally posted by Nerd-o-rama:
Which means that current is said to flow, by common convention, in the direction that positively charged particles do (or would, anyway, if there happened to be any moving along the circuit.  I forget whether they actually do when the circuit is conducting electricity.
 

In a normal electrical circuit nothing actually flows from positive to negative, apart from a few exceptions (see above). Its a convention that current flows from positive to negative, the electrons actually flow in the opposite direction.

The reason is that when the convention was being drawn up no-one actually knew in which direction current flowed, so they guessed. Unfortunately when the true nature of electricity and electron flow was discovered they found that they'd guessed wrong, but the convention stuck.
Pages: [1] Print 
« previous next »
Jump to:  

SMF 2.0.17 | SMF © 2019, Simple Machines | some icons from famfamfam
Legal Notice & Disclaimer: "Futurama" TM and copyright FOX, its related entities and the Curiosity Company. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. As a fan site, this Futurama forum, its operators, and any content on the site relating to "Futurama" are not explicitely authorized by Fox or the Curiosity Company.
Page created in 0.155 seconds with 35 queries.