Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
imagined worlds. Universal laws are exactly that—universal. They apply in the
same way to objects and environments at the furthest reaches of our galaxy,
and every other galaxy for that matter, in the same way as they do here on
earth. Yes, there are places where conditions and circumstances mean that the
laws of physics seem, if not to break down, then to stretch our understanding
of them. For example, regions around black holes known as
event horizons
may be one such place.
By understanding a little about the forces of nature and the laws of physics
and motion, we may be in a better position to make our animation, no matter
how fantastical and alien, accurate or at least plausible. The same laws of
motion that extend to all living things will also apply to alien life forms, if
they exist. However weird and wonderful, these life forms will be required to
comply with those same laws of physics that govern the ones found on earth.
A number of forces, objects, and matter are more familiar to physicists and
cosmologists than the rest of us. Although we may know that these things
exist, or at least we believe them to exist insofar as theories point to their
existence, the possible impact on our everyday lives by such exotic concepts
as dark matter, dark energy, and dark flow may not be of such urgent
importance to us. On a day-to-day basis, these phenomena are not clearly
evident to us; once again, though they may be of interest, they seem to have
little impact on the way we live our lives or the manner in which we generally
see that things behave.
Let's therefore concentrate for the time being on those four main forces
that
do
impact our lives: gravity, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force,
and strong nuclear force. Of these four forces, it is only gravity that is clearly
evident to us and impacts upon the way we live our lives. It is gravity that will
determine the work we make as animators; so it is gravity on which we will
concentrate in our study. For now it may be interesting to discuss, at least
briefly, the other three forces and see how gravity sits alongside them.
The Weak Nuclear Force
The
weak nuclear force
is the weakest of the three other forces after gravity;
its effects are swamped by both the electromagnetic force and the strong
nuclear force. The range over which the weak nuclear force is effective is
extremely limited and extends over only a very small region of space. It
doesn't even work at a microscopic level but works at a subatomic level. The
weak nuclear force enables the transmutation of subatomic particles that
often results in these particles accelerating at very high speeds. It is not a force
that is readily evident in our day-to-day lives, but when it does have an effect
it has a big one. The weak nuclear force plays a role in supernova explosions,
which generate such a burst of energy that they may even (temporarily at
least) outshine an entire galaxy. In our work as animators we may, for the most
part, safely ignore this force and its impact on the things we take for granted.
