Zaratan - A Giant Turtle - Where to find it?

[Jack Simth]

Well, falling objects should have damage cap as well. It is all about terminal velocity actually. More air resistance applies as you increase velocity. When you reach that terminal velocity the air resistance is equal to the force applies by gravity so your speed does not increase, thus the term terminal velocity. It is dependent on the aerodynamics of the particular object and each object has its own coefficient depending on its shape. I doubt a giant turtle carrying an island on his back would have superior aerodynamics. But who knows, if you dropped it upside down with that pointy mountain looking down at the players, you might reach really high speeds.

Com

Ah, but there's a catch with TV - it's not just aerodynamics - air resistence scales with area (fa(x) = x^2), while weight (and thus force from gravity) scales with volume (fv(x)=x^3) - so if an object that just barely fits inside a 1 inch cube has a TV of Y, then a scaled up version of that object that just barely fits inside a 2 inch cube has a TV of 2Y (Y*(Fv(2)/Fa(2))/(Fv(1)/Fa(1))). An object 12 times the size in each direction has 12 times the TV. An object 1000 times the size .... well.... that's why large meteorites tend to leave very big craters.....

 

[Ideamaster_1]

I could get into the science, but let's keep it simple. A book hits you falling at 5 miles per hour. Very painful, could POSSIBLY kill you depending on a few factors. Now a car hits you falling 5 miles per hour. You are dead, period. And both these objects could fall much faster and we all know that, so aerodynamic or not, a Zaratan falling would be certain death. Does that mean that it would still have a terminal velocity? Yes. The damage cap is a reference for the average human, it is not taking into consideration the weight of something significantly heavier, LIKE A LIVING ISLAND!

 

[Ideamaster_1]

In other words. You are over simplifying the rules.

 

[dave2008]

I could get into the science, but let's keep it simple. A book hits you falling at 5 miles per hour. Very painful, could POSSIBLY kill you depending on a few factors. Now a car hits you falling 5 miles per hour. You are dead, period. And both these objects could fall much faster and we all know that, so aerodynamic or not, a Zaratan falling would be certain death. Does that mean that it would still have a terminal velocity? Yes. The damage cap is a reference for the average human, it is not taking into consideration the weight of something significantly heavier, LIKE A LIVING ISLAND!

Just and FYI - this thread is 16 years old. You a probably not going to get much traction on your response. Nice necro though!