Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"No one has ever produced a statement of fact that was technically true. The most accurate statements of science we have today are accurate to only 15 decimal places."
- Bart Kosko
 |
| Jump | ||
| Instantaneous movement over vast distances, points many light-years apart. |
As far as I know, the first use of this expression.
| "Then it will take us only a little over one thousand seconds to travel the hundred and fifty million light years, at 110,000 light years per second - that's about the radius of our galaxy, isn't it!" exclaimed Wade.
They started on now, and one thousand and ten seconds, or a little more than eighteen minutes later, they stopped again. So far behind them now as to be almost lost in the far scattered universes, lay their own Island, and carefully they photographed the Universe that now lay less than twenty million light years ahead. Still, it was further, even after crossing this enormous gulf, than are many of those nebulae we see from Earth, many of which lie within that distance. They must proceed cautiously now, for they did not know the exact distance to the Nebula. Carefully, running forward in jumps of five million light years, forty-five second drives, they worked nearer. |
| Technovelgy from Invaders From The Infinite,
by John W. Campbell. Published by Experimental Publishing Co. in 1932 Additional resources -
|
Isaac Asimov gives a fairly detailed explanation of calculating a Jump in his 1951 story Tyrann. The story mentions a computer just once; the artwork seems to show a slide rule being used!
"They had all these books here?"
"You bet. They couldn't pilot a ship without them."
"And you understand all that?"
"Not all that. I wish I did. I hope I understand enough. We'll have to Jump to Lingane, you know."
"Is that hard to do?"
"No, not if you know the figures, which are all here, and have the controls which are all there, and if you have experience, which I haven't. For instance, it should be done in several Jumps, but I'm going to try it in one because there'll be less chance of trouble, even though it means a waste of energy."
Compare to jump point from Bill for Delivery (1964) by Christopher Anvil,
collapsar jump from The Forever War (1974) by Joe Haldeman,
hyperspace jump from Foundation(1951) by Isaac Asimov,
Alderson point (Crazy Eddie) from The Mote in God's Eye (1974) by Niven and Pournelle,
planoforming from The Game of Rat and Dragon (1953) by Cordwainer Smith,
jumpdoor from Whipping Star (1969) by Frank Herbert. Also, see jumpship from The Lady Was A Tramp (1957) by Rose Sharon.
She knelt down on the floor beside him, and looked at the thick volumes opened before him and at the sheets of calculations.
(Calculating a Jump from 'Tyrann' by Isaac Asimov)
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Invaders From The Infinite
More Ideas
and Technology by John W. Campbell
Tech news articles related to Invaders From The Infinite
Tech news articles related to works by John W. Campbell
| Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again? |
| Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution |
| Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri |
| The First Space Warship For Space Force |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
'There were cubic miles of it, and it glistened like a silvery Christmas tree...'
'Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual...'
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'
'There was a wall ahead... It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
'...support the interior human structure against Jupiter’s pull.'
'Anything larger than a BB shot it picked up and placed in a tray...'
