L O S T physics

[pokerfan]

(I really need to just adopt Bender as my sigpic.)

I posted this in one of the ginormous LOST threads but thought it might get missed there.

Charlie would not have drowned!!!

The water could not (and would not) have risen above the level of the blown porthole, leaving a rather large pocket of air for Charlie to breath. Plenty of time for Charlie and Des to figure out what to do next.

(I had the same gripe about The Abyss.)

[NewWaveChick1981]

1. I"m glad you brought that up.

:hi: I thought about that last night, and I said, "Wouldn't there have been an air pocket?" The only thing that stopped me from going with that theory all the way is if there were some chamber above where Charlie was that allowed the water to keep rising and push the air pocket further above. But you're right on. :)

[pokerfan]

12. Fair point

I thought about that last night, and I said, "Wouldn't there have been an air pocket?" The only thing that stopped me from going with that theory all the way is if there were some chamber above where Charlie was that allowed the water to keep rising and push the air pocket further above. But you're right on.

But even if Charlie's compartment had a leak to the greater Looking Glass Station, the water could not have flooded to any level above the broken port hole. If the entire LG station had a leak to the top surface atmosphere then they would not have been able to have a moon pool dive portal.

I'll allow it for the sake of the story, but it galls me that they could mess up a technical detail such as this, especially with certified divers, i.e. experts involved.

[Frank Cannon]

2. Damn, I never thought about that, but you're right.

Even people in submerged cars get a little air pocket towards the roof. Once the water level hits the top of the window, there's no place for the air to get pushed out anymore.

Hell, he and Desmond could have just opened the hatch again and let the much larger main chamber fill up while they put on the scuba gear. They would have had plenty of time, and plenty of air. There was absolutely no need for Charlie to drown.

But, then, this is LOST island, and anything can happen.

[SteelPenguin]

3. How bout this one...

When the left their beach encampment to trek to the radio tower they headed off with the ocean on their right...

When they came back from commercial they were continuing their trek...but now the ocean was on their left...

Did they go the wrong way initially?

[pokerfan]

7. I have climbed lots of hills and mountains

Most trails (including game trails) tend to zig-zag (switch-back) up a hill. Hell, most roads do as well. Since it's filmed on location, I'll give the director a pass on this one.

[SteelPenguin]

13. Doesn't matter

If you're following a coastline, no matter which way it zig zags, you'll never do what they did. The coast was about five feet on their right, then it was about five feet on their left. Even if you got to a cove where the coastline jagged 90 degrees it would still be on your right.

Yeah it's obviously a shot choice, but it's inconsistencies like that which can bug me becuase they pull me back to reality. It's poor shot continuity.

[pokerfan]

14. Well then I have no argument

The Charlie "drowning" is what yanked my suspension of disbelief. I wasn't following the exterior shots closely.

Obviously.

[underpants]

8. My wife mentioned that immediately

:thumbsup:

[LynneSin]

4. So for what I watched of Lost this is what I figured out what happened....

Just about everyone dies

I'm so glad I flipped back to Animal Prestinct Houston. I was so glad they got that lil kitty out of the engine and adopted into a really nice family!

[LostinVA]

5. Per another site, the station would have flooded w/out the bulkhead closed

"A moon pool requires air pressure to stay stable. If Charlie had not closed the door (which sealed from the inside), the pool would have immediately flooded the entire station. That much water rushing in would have made it next to impossible to get to the scuba gear, let alone swim out ( afeat which nearly kille dthem both when they tried to swim in). Charlie made the right call."

From TWOP.

[pokerfan]

6. The entire station has to be pressurized

Or they could not have a dive portal. Of course the ocean provides the pressure naturally but they would need airlocks to the above ground. Every 33 feet adds another atmosphere.

Charlie's compartment was obviously the same pressure as everything else.

Charlie could have simply opened the outer door and swam to the surface. He swam down, albeit with the use of a weight belt. But going up he has a lot of air in his lungs continuously expanding, much better than a weight belt.

If the outer door didn't work, then use the inner door. The porthole can't let in as much water as an entire doorway lets out. Go through the door and then shut it. This isn't like a sinking car, where pressures really matter.

[Squatch]

9. Unless there's a leak around the door...

[bmbmd]

10. Tilted.

The hatch was tilted.

[pokerfan]

11. True

but then there would still be a pocket of air between the top of the door and ceiling.