Editing 2800: Down
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Megan does not explain who exactly redefined down, or why they have the authority to do so, but it is most likely some scientific body such as the {{w|International Astronomical Union}} or the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures}}, which have the power to make such decisions - for example, the IAU defined planet and {{w|dwarf planet}} in 2006, and the GCWM redefined the {{w|kilogram}} in 2018. In reality, in addition to there being no governing body which determines the direction of down, such definitions are made only when there is compelling reason to, and they work hard to minimize the changes. (For example, the redefinition of the kilogram was done in order to ''prevent'' the mass of the kilogram from changing in the future by attaching it to physical constants.) Nonetheless, in the world shown in this comic, redefining 'down' appears to happen frequently enough for Cueball to be frustrated but not fazed by it. | Megan does not explain who exactly redefined down, or why they have the authority to do so, but it is most likely some scientific body such as the {{w|International Astronomical Union}} or the {{w|General Conference on Weights and Measures}}, which have the power to make such decisions - for example, the IAU defined planet and {{w|dwarf planet}} in 2006, and the GCWM redefined the {{w|kilogram}} in 2018. In reality, in addition to there being no governing body which determines the direction of down, such definitions are made only when there is compelling reason to, and they work hard to minimize the changes. (For example, the redefinition of the kilogram was done in order to ''prevent'' the mass of the kilogram from changing in the future by attaching it to physical constants.) Nonetheless, in the world shown in this comic, redefining 'down' appears to happen frequently enough for Cueball to be frustrated but not fazed by it. | ||
β | It should also be noted that redefining down does not automatically alter the direction of gravity, which will still act in the same direction it did before. Therefore, it is unclear how Megan or Cueball are even aware of the change in definition, unless they are somehow | + | It should also be noted that redefining down does not automatically alter the direction of gravity, which will still act in the same direction it did before. Therefore, it is unclear how Megan or Cueball are even aware of the change in definition, unless they are somehow [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MediumAwareness aware of the comic they are in] and "know" that they are oriented at a strange angle. |
Cueball mentions that the redefinition of down is a side effect of redefining the origin of their coordinate system. A {{w|coordinate system}} is a way of representing locations in space using a set of numbers, where each number (called a coordinate) measures a distance travelled in one of the spatial dimensions. In order for these numbers to be meaningful, it is always necessary to define a single point as the origin, where all coordinates have the value 0. Locations can then be measured relative to the origin. | Cueball mentions that the redefinition of down is a side effect of redefining the origin of their coordinate system. A {{w|coordinate system}} is a way of representing locations in space using a set of numbers, where each number (called a coordinate) measures a distance travelled in one of the spatial dimensions. In order for these numbers to be meaningful, it is always necessary to define a single point as the origin, where all coordinates have the value 0. Locations can then be measured relative to the origin. |