User Arvex

20 votes

15 answers

5k views

Would an evolutionary predecessor for winged quadrupeds start with four legs and gain wings? Or start with two legs and wings and gain extra legs?

asked Oct 11, 2020 at 18:04

16 votes

6 answers

6k views

If it could be shaped, would chitin from giant insects make decent body armor?

asked Mar 24, 2020 at 4:37

16 votes

14 answers

5k views

How do I keep my futuristic racing hovercraft from becoming airplanes?

asked Jul 26, 2021 at 18:52

14 votes

4 answers

2k views

If a dragon could fly without magical assistance, how much force could a dragon exert in directed air attacks using the force of its wings?

asked May 1, 2022 at 16:27

14 votes

14 answers

2k views

What are the risks with massive banks of batteries/capacitors?

asked Nov 4, 2017 at 1:49

11 votes

7 answers

3k views

What types of enemies would a two-handed sledge hammer be useful against in a medieval fantasy setting?

asked Dec 11, 2021 at 16:25

10 votes

7 answers

1k views

Could a combination of cheap energy and powerful thrusters turn good aerodynamic design into something that isn't always worth the cost?

asked Jul 17, 2021 at 16:47

10 votes

7 answers

2k views

Why would a molten alloy need to be jettisoned into low-to-medium orbit to cool as part of the manufacturing process?

asked Dec 22, 2022 at 23:11

10 votes

3 answers

819 views

If resistance were also a measure of a metal's resistance to magic, which metals would make the best armor and weapons?

asked May 4, 2018 at 23:45

9 votes

5 answers

591 views

Capital space ships: Several large fusion reactors vs many smaller ones

asked Aug 25, 2017 at 15:51

8 votes

3 answers

848 views

What would a realistic plasma shield look like?

asked Apr 2, 2017 at 12:38

8 votes

1 answer

158 views

What conditions could create a planet that has higher amounts of antimatter in its radiation belt?

asked Dec 27, 2017 at 17:45

8 votes

3 answers

485 views

How large can you build humanoid mechs with modern materials before they start experiencing structural problems?

asked Mar 31, 2021 at 17:10

8 votes

6 answers

1k views

How would a treaty forbiding the use of automated weaponry change space combat?

asked Oct 4, 2020 at 18:18

7 votes

5 answers

1k views

How would modern militaries respond to a large number of unknown spaceships suddenly launching towards the moon from Earth? [closed]

asked Jun 19, 2022 at 16:37

7 votes

2 answers

236 views

How long could late medieval-like architecture survive without humans to maintain it while they were in a magical sleep?

asked Jul 11, 2020 at 17:42

7 votes

19 answers

967 views

Disabling a spaceship while leaving it repairable?

asked Jun 28, 2017 at 3:46

6 votes

2 answers

389 views

Moving asteroids into a planet's orbit to increase rotation to produce a magnetic field

asked Jan 29, 2017 at 15:14

6 votes

5 answers

974 views

What would be the most practical way to use a dragon's scales as armor?

asked Nov 1, 2019 at 21:48

6 votes

7 answers

991 views

Can electronic warfare be used to bring space combat into visual range and protect fighters/bombers?

asked Dec 27, 2017 at 2:30

6 votes

1 answer

465 views

Energy costs of giving Mars and Venus moons: moving gas giant moons vs. capturing a rogue planet?

asked Feb 6, 2018 at 22:46

5 votes

2 answers

628 views

If the solar panels on a spaceship were able to convert gamma rays to electricity, how much more power would it produce?

asked Jul 22, 2020 at 21:01

5 votes

2 answers

641 views

In a fantasy setting with 15th century metallurgy, what metals could have been refined that were not discovered in our own medieval period?

asked Sep 24, 2020 at 21:59

5 votes

2 answers

921 views

Properties of magnetically confined plasma shielding

asked Apr 1, 2017 at 14:17

4 votes

1 answer

339 views

Sensible regulations on sentient AI with citizenship rights

asked Jan 26, 2017 at 2:24

4 votes

10 answers

1k views

Conditions for ideal/quick terraforming candidates that cannot currently support life

asked Sep 7, 2017 at 22:00

4 votes

8 answers

882 views

Using magnetic fields to prevent a weaponized warp drive?

asked Nov 13, 2017 at 2:03

4 votes

3 answers

1k views

Feeding the griffin: Determining approximate food requirements for mythical creatures?

asked Jun 26, 2017 at 0:19

3 votes

2 answers

251 views

What happens to asteroids when heated into a plasma?

asked Aug 13, 2017 at 20:38

3 votes

3 answers

229 views

Using EM noise + computers to simulate sound in the cockpit

asked Jan 24, 2017 at 20:04

Stack Exchange Network

46 Questions

Would an evolutionary predecessor for winged quadrupeds start with four legs and gain wings? Or start with two legs and wings and gain extra legs?

If it could be shaped, would chitin from giant insects make decent body armor?

How do I keep my futuristic racing hovercraft from becoming airplanes?

If a dragon could fly without magical assistance, how much force could a dragon exert in directed air attacks using the force of its wings?

What are the risks with massive banks of batteries/capacitors?

What types of enemies would a two-handed sledge hammer be useful against in a medieval fantasy setting?

Could a combination of cheap energy and powerful thrusters turn good aerodynamic design into something that isn't always worth the cost?

Why would a molten alloy need to be jettisoned into low-to-medium orbit to cool as part of the manufacturing process?

If resistance were also a measure of a metal's resistance to magic, which metals would make the best armor and weapons?

Capital space ships: Several large fusion reactors vs many smaller ones

What would a realistic plasma shield look like?

What conditions could create a planet that has higher amounts of antimatter in its radiation belt?

How large can you build humanoid mechs with modern materials before they start experiencing structural problems?

How would a treaty forbiding the use of automated weaponry change space combat?

How would modern militaries respond to a large number of unknown spaceships suddenly launching towards the moon from Earth? [closed]

How long could late medieval-like architecture survive without humans to maintain it while they were in a magical sleep?

Disabling a spaceship while leaving it repairable?

Moving asteroids into a planet's orbit to increase rotation to produce a magnetic field

What would be the most practical way to use a dragon's scales as armor?

Can electronic warfare be used to bring space combat into visual range and protect fighters/bombers?

Energy costs of giving Mars and Venus moons: moving gas giant moons vs. capturing a rogue planet?

If the solar panels on a spaceship were able to convert gamma rays to electricity, how much more power would it produce?

In a fantasy setting with 15th century metallurgy, what metals could have been refined that were not discovered in our own medieval period?

Properties of magnetically confined plasma shielding

Sensible regulations on sentient AI with citizenship rights

Conditions for ideal/quick terraforming candidates that cannot currently support life

Using magnetic fields to prevent a weaponized warp drive?

Feeding the griffin: Determining approximate food requirements for mythical creatures?

What happens to asteroids when heated into a plasma?

Using EM noise + computers to simulate sound in the cockpit