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A comment on Bill Gates: My Plan to Improve Our World, and How You Can Help. Parent comment

Re:Bill Gates: My Plan to Improve Our World, and How You Can... by rsheridan6 on Wednesday November 13, 2013 @12:17AM (#6723504)
That's not going to solve overpopulation problems here, because it would be cheaper to feed someone for life (ie it would require less energy) than it would be to send that person outside of Earth's gravitational field.
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Re:Bill Gates: My Plan to Improve Our World, and How You Can... by pdonis on Wednesday November 13, 2013 @01:00AM (#6723637)
it would be cheaper to feed someone for life (ie it would require less energy) than it would be to send that person outside of Earth's gravitational field.

Please show your work.

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Re:Bill Gates: My Plan to Improve Our World, and How You Can... by rsheridan6 on Wednesday November 13, 2013 @02:02AM (#6723816)
There was an error in my calculations, which are based on freshman college physics I took in the 90s, so never mind.

Attempt #2: Gravitational potential energy = kinetic energy = .5massescape velocity^2. = .5human bodyweight kg 11,200 m/s. Convert the units and you've got a few years worth of calories (which I think I mixed up with kilocalories the first time).

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Re:Bill Gates: My Plan to Improve Our World, and How You Can... by pdonis on Wednesday November 13, 2013 @11:26PM (#6730507)
Yes, I get a few year's worth of kilocalories (1 kcal = 4180 Joules, and assuming a 2,000 kcal per day diet) for a 100 kg human.
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