While the initial question is well answered, I'd add a thought - the smaller engine
will take 100 times as long to burn through the reaction mass...but since it's producing 1/100 times as much acceleration, naturally the delta-V comes out the same.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hal
Ok, piggy backing on this thread...
Suppose you decide to design a spaceship with the following in mind:
You have a SM 9 ship. A single "reaction Engine" for this ship will produce 3G acceleration.
However, using the Swapping out rule from page 5 of Transhuman Space ships...
Suppose I decide to use one SM 8 rocket engine to produce 1G extra, allowing for a 4G acceleration?
Further suppose that I use the other two modules for Fuel. Those two fuel will be 2/3rds of a fuel tank for a SM 9 ship.
So what happens to the Delta-V increase (page 17 of the First GURPS SPACEBOOKS rules)?
It states that if you have 6 to 8 tanks, multiply your delta-V by 1.2. If you have 9 to 12, multiply by 1.4
Now, if we have 2/3rds of a tank, we have 2/3rds of the delta-V that a normal SM9 tank would have. No question there.
But what happens to the Delta-V multiplier when you're at the "threshold" level between the multiplier values? In other words...
if you have 5 and 2/3rds of a tank, does this get the full 1.2 modifier? If you have 8 and 2/3rds of a tank, do you get the full 1.4 multiplier?
How would you resolve that issue?
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So (A) there's no actual reason to involve the smaller rocket in this, it has no bearing on the question.
(B) Assuming I was using the by-the-book delta-V rule rather than using the rocket equation to smooth it, I'd use it by the book - 5 and 2/3s is not 6 to 8, it is less than 6, so you don't get that multiplier. 8 and 2/3s is slightly more of a problem, but for consistency I'd put it with the lower group rather than the upper group.