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 Post subject: Your mileage may vary
PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 1:36 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 356
Location: Everett, Wash.
From AP<p>WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has received information that North Korea is developing a long-range ballistic missile designed to reach targets throughout the United States, two government officials said Thursday.
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Until now, the limit of North Korea’s missile range was thought by U.S. defense experts to have been Alaska or Hawaii for relatively lighter payloads and the western half of the continental United States for heavier payloads.<p>*** I guess the North Koreans are violating the rules of physics as well as international law if they can send a heavier payload farther than they can send a lighter payload.***


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 Post subject: Re: Your mileage may vary
PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 5:03 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 31, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 87
Location: Calgary, Canada
Which can go farther, a car with half a tank of gas, or a car with a full tank that weighs more because of the additional fuel?<p>The volume of fuel is not the primary consideration in the case ballistic missiles, but I'm sure you see my point.


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 Post subject: Re: Your mileage may vary
PostPosted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 12:52 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 356
Location: Everett, Wash.
Well, no, I don't see your point.<p>And if it doesn't seem logical to me that a missile with a heavier payload would go farther than a missile with a lighter payload, then I would think more than a few readers would also be scratching their heads.<p>As Don Regan might say about me, I know nothing about missile throw weights, so maybe the AP reporter's statement is correct. But maybe the writer should try to explain what appears on the surface to be a contradictory statement.<p>As for how far my car goes on half-a-tank of gas vs. a full tank, I'll run some tests and get back to you. Mind if I call you for a ride when I run dry?


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 Post subject: Re: Your mileage may vary
PostPosted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 1:37 am 
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Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 8342
Location: Bethesda, Md.
AP later moved a corrected version (without labeling it as such):<p>
Until now, the limit of North Korea's missile range was thought by U.S. defense experts to have been Alaska or Hawaii for heavier payloads and the western half of the continental United States for lighter payloads.


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 Post subject: Re: Your mileage may vary
PostPosted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:58 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1775
Location: Baltimore
If two cars are identical except for the amount of fuel in them, the car with more fuel will weigh more and go farther before running dry (if driven in similar manners).<p>If two vehicles have identical amounts of fuel and identical engines, the lighter vehicle probably will go farther before running dry (if driven in similar manners).<p>With rockets and missiles, you have weight, aerodynamics, fuel source, power source and, apparently most significant in this case, how heavy a warhead as variables.<p>AP should have at least marked its writethru to note that it contained a correction. Apparently either the writer, editors or all didn't understand these principles, hence the lack of scientific explanation and the factual error.<p>By the way: Anyone else seeing a rash of principle/principal confusion in copy?


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