Difference between revisions of "Shields"

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; Conservation of Momentum
; Conservation of Momentum
: A shield should obey Conservation of Momentum. If a shield stops an incoming projectile, its momentum must be transferred to the shield system. If the momentum is greater than what the physical shield system (or its bracings) can withstand, then the equipment may suffer physical damage.
: A shield should obey Conservation of Momentum. If a shield stops an incoming projectile, its momentum must be transferred to the shield system. If the momentum is greater than what the physical shield system (or its bracings) can withstand, then the equipment may suffer physical damage.
: Some dispute this citing [[Wesley Crusher]]'s homemade tractor/repulsor beam<ref>TNG, "The Naked Now"</ref> didn't seem to transfer momentum to the device. Wesley held it casually while lifting a chair with it. Later he left it sitting on a table projecting a [[force field]] keeping people out of engineering.  It wasn't knocked off when people tapped the force field.  This objection ignores the possibility of the device being [[magnetic field|magnetically]] or otherwise secured to the table or of it transferring momentum directly to the floor when lifting the chair. In fact, when Wesley later modifies the [[Enterprise-D|''Enterprise'''s]] own [[tractor beam]] into a repulsor, it does in fact give the Enterprise a push off. Far from contradicting the theory that their shields transfer momentum to the ship, this incident only confirms it.
: Some dispute this, citing [[Wesley Crusher]]'s homemade tractor/repulsor beam<ref>TNG, "The Naked Now"</ref>, which didn't seem to transfer momentum to the device.
:*Wesley held it casually while lifting a chair with it, but this proves nothing, since Wesley could presumably lift the weight of the chair himself, allowing momentum to transfer all the way to the deck of the ship.
:*Later he left it sitting on a table projecting a [[force field]] keeping people out of engineering, and it wasn't knocked off when people tapped the force field.  This objection ignores the possibility of the device being secured to the table in some fashion or transferring momentum directly to the doorframe that the field was blocking.
:*Wesley later modifies the [[Enterprise-D|''Enterprise'''s]] own [[tractor beam]] to act as a repulsor, and it gives the ''Enterprise'' a "push off" from the ''[[USS Tsiolkovsky]]'' that buys the time the crew needs to save the ship. Far from contradicting the theory that their shields transfer momentum to the ship, this incident only confirms it.


; Conservation of Energy
; Conservation of Energy
: Any energy a shield draws or absorbs must go somewhere, typically--but not always--as waste heat. Many sci-fi defensive shields redirect incoming attacks and glow at the impact point when the energy from the attack is radiated away.
: Any energy a shield draws or absorbs must go somewhere, typically--but not always--as waste heat. Many sci-fi defensive shields redirect incoming attacks and glow at the impact point when the energy from the attack is radiated away.


: Sometimes depictions of shields suggest that simply having the defensive shielding raised will result in the shield system using a lot of power. The energy cannot magically disappear and must still go somewhere, so some rationalization may required when analyzing those depictions in order for its behavior to make any sense.
: Sometimes depictions of shields suggest that simply having the defensive shielding raised will result in the shield system using a lot of power. However, the energy cannot magically disappear and must still go somewhere, so some rationalization may be required when analyzing those depictions in order for its behavior to make any sense.


== Defensive Shields in Different Universes ==
== Defensive Shields in Different Universes ==


=== Star Wars Shields ===
=== Star Wars ===
Most starships in ''[[Star Wars]]'' use deflector shield technology to protect against enemy attacks and navigational hazards. Energy from incoming attacks that cannot be completely deflected is absorbed and stored in heat sinks. The shields can become overloaded if the system absorbs heat more quickly than it can be radiated away. The shield system must be shut down while the systems cool off, or the projectors will burn out and require replacement.


Most starships in ''[[Star Wars]]'' use deflector shield technology to protect against enemy attacks and navigational hazards. Any incoming attacks that cannot be completely deflected are absorbed and stored in heat sinks. The shields can become overloaded if the system absorbs heat more quickly than it can be radiated away. The shield system must be shut down while the systems cool off, or the projectors will burn out and require replacement.
Some starships can make use of the energy absorbed from incoming attacks, at least to a certain extent.


Some starships can make use of the energy absorbed from incoming attacks, at least to a certain extent.
Star Wars shielding technology can be miniaturized enough for use on [[Droideka personal shields|some droids]]. It can also be placed on platforms that can be carried onto a battlefield, allowing broad areas to be shielded against attack. The technology can also be [[Planetary_shield|scaled up to protect entire planets]].


Please see the [[SW Shields|main article on Star Wars shielding]] for more information.
Please see the [[SW Shields|main article on Star Wars shielding]] for more information.


=== Star Trek Shields ===
[[Image:TNG_4x12_enterprise_galor.JPG |right|thumb|150px|Shields flare when struck by phaser fire.]]
[[Image:TNG_4x12_enterprise_galor.JPG |right|thumb|150px|Shields flare when struck by phaser fire.]]Most starships in ''[[Star Trek]]'' use shields to protect against enemy attacks. As the shields take damage, they weaken, and effects from enemy attacks bleed through with greater frequency.
 
=== Star Trek ===
Most starships in ''[[Star Trek]]'' use shields to protect against enemy attacks. As the shields take damage, they weaken, and effects from enemy attacks bleed through with greater frequency.


Please see the [[ST Shields|main article on Star Trek shielding]] for more information.
Please see the [[ST Shields|main article on Star Trek shielding]] for more information.
===Mass Effect===
In ''[[Mass Effect]]'', shields known as "[[kinetic barrier]]s" can be created using [[mass effect technology|mass effect fields]]. These shields can stop or deflect incoming projectiles, but they are ineffective against [[directed-energy weapon]]s. Barriers are scalable from personal defense shields to starship shields.
==See Also==
*[[Planetary shield]]


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 11:16, 22 March 2014

Many science-fiction universes depict exotic defensive shielding technology protecting their vessels from enemy attacks. The different depictions of defensive shielding have varying levels of realism.

For more information, please see the main articles for how the shields of each universe behave:

Concept

Even though many defensive shield technologies rely on exotic physics, any analysis of defensive shielding technology should take into account real-life physics as much as possible.

Conservation of Momentum
A shield should obey Conservation of Momentum. If a shield stops an incoming projectile, its momentum must be transferred to the shield system. If the momentum is greater than what the physical shield system (or its bracings) can withstand, then the equipment may suffer physical damage.
Some dispute this, citing Wesley Crusher's homemade tractor/repulsor beam[1], which didn't seem to transfer momentum to the device.
  • Wesley held it casually while lifting a chair with it, but this proves nothing, since Wesley could presumably lift the weight of the chair himself, allowing momentum to transfer all the way to the deck of the ship.
  • Later he left it sitting on a table projecting a force field keeping people out of engineering, and it wasn't knocked off when people tapped the force field. This objection ignores the possibility of the device being secured to the table in some fashion or transferring momentum directly to the doorframe that the field was blocking.
  • Wesley later modifies the Enterprise's own tractor beam to act as a repulsor, and it gives the Enterprise a "push off" from the USS Tsiolkovsky that buys the time the crew needs to save the ship. Far from contradicting the theory that their shields transfer momentum to the ship, this incident only confirms it.
Conservation of Energy
Any energy a shield draws or absorbs must go somewhere, typically--but not always--as waste heat. Many sci-fi defensive shields redirect incoming attacks and glow at the impact point when the energy from the attack is radiated away.
Sometimes depictions of shields suggest that simply having the defensive shielding raised will result in the shield system using a lot of power. However, the energy cannot magically disappear and must still go somewhere, so some rationalization may be required when analyzing those depictions in order for its behavior to make any sense.

Defensive Shields in Different Universes

Star Wars

Most starships in Star Wars use deflector shield technology to protect against enemy attacks and navigational hazards. Energy from incoming attacks that cannot be completely deflected is absorbed and stored in heat sinks. The shields can become overloaded if the system absorbs heat more quickly than it can be radiated away. The shield system must be shut down while the systems cool off, or the projectors will burn out and require replacement.

Some starships can make use of the energy absorbed from incoming attacks, at least to a certain extent.

Star Wars shielding technology can be miniaturized enough for use on some droids. It can also be placed on platforms that can be carried onto a battlefield, allowing broad areas to be shielded against attack. The technology can also be scaled up to protect entire planets.

Please see the main article on Star Wars shielding for more information.

Shields flare when struck by phaser fire.

Star Trek

Most starships in Star Trek use shields to protect against enemy attacks. As the shields take damage, they weaken, and effects from enemy attacks bleed through with greater frequency.

Please see the main article on Star Trek shielding for more information.

Mass Effect

In Mass Effect, shields known as "kinetic barriers" can be created using mass effect fields. These shields can stop or deflect incoming projectiles, but they are ineffective against directed-energy weapons. Barriers are scalable from personal defense shields to starship shields.

See Also

References

  1. TNG, "The Naked Now"