Travel Theory: Huge Scale Transportation

Hey guys, this is my second thread on ATS so far and i want to show you this idea i have showed to my friends and see what you lot think of it.

I thought of an idea on how to travel from A to B in seconds or minutes. So i looked at an 'L' shaped object and noticed if you turned an 'L' shaped object by holding the shortest length and spinning it, the pivot moves no distance with little effort but the other long part of it has travelled a bigger distance just by spinning the object at its pivot.

On a large scale, if a very powerfull motor spined the 'L' object on its pivot 180* degree's the entire object would spin with the pivot at the same time! Here's an example...

The blob is the pivot, and at the end of the black line would be pods where people could sit, potentially.

Covering thousands of miles in seconds would be massive G force but obviously you could make the motor operate slower and it would anyway because of the sheer weight of a massive object like that.

If you are sketchy on what am on about, try it out on an 'L' shaped object and notice how quickly the long side covers distance as you spin it at its pivot.

Thanks for reading.

[edit on 19-1-2010 by jonnyc55]

You're thinking creatively, there's value in that!

Unfortunately, your idea is mostly unworkable. Fortunately, I won't subject you to a refutation of every element of your idea.

Your idea of using a fulcrum does not mitigate the work (and, thereby, energy) requirement, it just alters its components.

The equation for work is FxD, where F is force (measured in newtons) and d is distance (measured in meters). Your technology shortens the distance that the work must be performed, but it also increases the amount of force required by the same factor. Thus, your idea changes how the work is performed, but the energy cost (the only real cost) is unchanged.

Add in the substantial mass of a trans-atlantic fulcrum and you'll require even more energy.

Good try though. If you're interested in engineering you should consider reading a physics book. I don't recommend the more popular books from Stephen Hawking and the like; rather it would be most beneficial for you to learn the basics of physics and see where your interests go.

Keep Thinking,
Shane

reply to post by randolrs1
Thankyou shane for the constructive comment, along with some good advice for me which gives me something to think about. Cheers .