Getting rid of air resistance?

[IceMasterDLarge]

This plan is extremely (almost to an atrocious level) impractical. Maybe somehow we could make the earth's orbit like a permanent vaccum thus getting rid of air resistance. I don't really have much more to say on this idea, but except do you think that it could be possible? Or we will never reach 0 resistance no matter where we are, only the 1*10^-100 Newtons??

[Lee]

what?.....are you proposing getting rid of the earths atmosphere.

[IceMasterDLarge]

That's why I said it was atrociously impractical, we wouldn't survive something like this. It's really a question of would it be possible at all.

[MacGuffin]

What the?

You know most threads in a science section at least try to adhere to reality.

What is the point of eliminating the atmosphere? Every planet over a certain size has one.

[Lee]

the suface of the planet would have to be totally solid and solar winds would have to sweep the atmosphere away then to prevent gravity from forming a new atmosphere you would have to create some kind of inpenetrable shield around the planet creating a vacuum, even with this I don't think you could really eliminate the atmoshere. This is just a rough guess, but honestly why? why ask?

[IceMasterDLarge]

I know this is a very farfetched topic which I proposed. It was just an idea I have been thinking about for a while and was just curious about it would be possible. I just wanted to see if any of you had any other ideas about the topic, I know that this topic is probably one of the most unrealistic and stupidest ones ever seen on this board. It was just an idea, and I thought I would try it out.

[Lee]

Good enough reason for me!

[IceMasterDLarge]

Thanks :).

[Elro]

I know this is a very farfetched topic which I proposed. It was just an idea I have been thinking about for a while and was just curious about it would be possible. I just wanted to see if any of you had any other ideas about the topic, I know that this topic is probably one of the most unrealistic and stupidest ones ever seen on this board. It was just an idea, and I thought I would try it out.

If it's unrealistic and stupid, you know I want to consider it! ;P

Well, if you meant losing a planet's atmosphere, you could theoretically try it by doing experiments on a DIFFERENT planet. Much fewer lives lost that way. Or, completely enclosing a planet might do it too, but I doubt it. Seems like differences in air pressures within the closed-off space would create wind. When you're talking about something the size of the planet, not only is it impractical to enclose it (the material would probably amount to another planet's worth), it also seems like it would be difficult to keep winds and such down. But I'm just writing this off the top of my head, not sure.

The closest thing I can think of is space. But even out there there are various forces, even though small. I doubt that anything that we currently know of could provide zero resistance, though it might approach it.

But who knows what we'll discover within a hundred years? People have been saying for years that science has reached its limits. Pshaw. What we know now will be obsolete 1000 years from now. If we're lucky enough still to be around.

[jimkopelli]

Um... if you want minimum air resistance... there's probably an easier way than sucking off the entire atmosphere... like... going to outer space, maybe? Hmm? You could fly a shoebox as fast as you could propel it... drag means nada.

[flan2dave]

You could use air to propel objects, resistance works both ways in a sense.

[Shai Gar]

This plan is extremely (almost to an atrocious level) impractical. Maybe somehow we could make the earth's orbit like a permanent vaccum thus getting rid of air resistance. I don't really have much more to say on this idea, but except do you think that it could be possible? Or we will never reach 0 resistance no matter where we are, only the 1*10^-100 Newtons??
shall we cover the earth in leather so we dont hurt our feet? or should we cover our feet in leather and call that a shoe?

[jimkopelli]

Good analogy. Why build a pyramid when you can hire the same number of people to go to the other side of the world and jump up and down and get the same effect?