New Science Fiction

Originally posted by Suzianne
I had just started the book when it came out. I saw the film and now I'm reading the rest of the book. I'm glad I did this, because I would've spent the entire movie saying "The book was better." Now I'm finishing up the book saying, "ok, this is better than the movie."

The only plot problem I have with the story, book and movie, is the opener where there are these 175 klick winds (over 100 miles per hour) going with enough force to knock over a lander. The air pressure on Mars is 1/100th of Earth's and it seems to me all things being equal, a 175 klick wind on Mars would be maybe something like a 20 klick wind on Earth. I don't think there would ever have been the plot problems of the opening round. But in sci fi you suspend disbelief for the story line.

Originally posted by sonhouse
The only plot problem I have with the story, book and movie, is the opener where there are these 175 klick winds (over 100 miles per hour) going with enough force to knock over a lander. The air pressure on Mars is 1/100th of Earth's and it seems to me all things being equal, a 175 klick wind on Mars would be maybe something like a 20 klick wind on Earth. I ...[text shortened]... the plot problems of the opening round. But in sci fi you suspend disbelief for the story line.

Well, I had no problem buying that because I wasn't taking the difference in air pressure into account. I mean I realized that a 175kph wind on Mars wouldn't be like a 175kph wind on Earth, but I still thought maybe it would be strong enough, but then again, I wasn't caring enough to do the math, either. 🙂

Edit: Wouldn't one also have to take the sheer volume of blowing sand into effect as well? Maybe the air pressure wasn't enough, but what about all that sand hitting the lander with that speed? Just grabbing at straws here.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Well, I had no problem buying that because I wasn't taking the difference in air pressure into account. I mean I realized that a 175kph wind on Mars wouldn't be like a 175kph wind on Earth, but I still thought maybe it would be strong enough, but then again, I wasn't caring enough to do the math, either. 🙂

Edit: Wouldn't one also have to take the she ...[text shortened]... but what about all that sand hitting the lander with that speed? Just grabbing at straws here.

Maybe straws would be stronger🙂

Originally posted by Suzianne
...
Edit: Wouldn't one also have to take the sheer volume of blowing sand into effect as well? Maybe the air pressure wasn't enough, but what about all that sand hitting the lander with that speed? Just grabbing at straws here.

To accelerate the sand you need enough power... So the volume of sand would just reflect the force of the wind. Of course judging the amount of particles in atmosphere is difficult to estimate. In the movie there were some rather big stones blown around which I can't imagine becoming airborne in Martian atmosphere...

Originally posted by FMF
Doesn't the existence - and role in the story - of the fictitious drug NZT-48 make it science fiction?

Makes it fiction.

Everything is science so one could insist that all fiction is science-fiction.
There is not enough of a science element in "Limitless" to make it sci-fi (IMHO)