Discussion»Questions»Outside the Mug» If there was a planet ten times larger than Earth but one tenth our gravity do you think there would be trees 2000 feet tall..?
This is a physical impossibility. The larger the mass of a planetary body, the greater its gravity. Otherwise the body/planet would have a difficult time (put mildly) retaining its size. In the context of your question, the size of the planet isn’t really significant for the possibility of such tall trees. The gravity is the point.
There is also the factor of wind. Higher elevations are home to more severe wind turbulence, therefore the root system to keep such a tree anchored and upright would need to be unbelievably immense. As well, the nutrients required to feed such a huge growth would need to be at hand for the centuries it would take for that height to be attained. Multiply that times the number of trees. The possibility of fire would have to be virtually nil.
As for “people” 20 feet tall, a body structure to support the weight and dimensions of a body so large would likely make them unrecognizable as anthropomorphic (human) life forms. Less gravity would give cause to evolve lighter bone and muscle structures, not an ideal condition for taller versions of what would resemble humans.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at February 15, 2018 9:39 AM MST
The largest tree they say is in America ...ts called. The General Sherman it's 386 feet high and a tree a hundred feet higher was cut down in 1940....... What a crime it was not allowed to die of old age......
Height of an animal depends on air pressure. Earth has pressure equal to 32 feet of water, so blood would not flow if an animal's head is 32 feet above the heart. IRL we observe that the giraffe is the practical limit at about 16 feet or so. People 25 feet tall would require air pressure equal to more than a hundred feet of water, and that suggests more gravity, not less.
Speed of nerve impulses is constant. A tall animal takes longer to fall, but it also takes longer to get nerve impulses to the muscles to counteract the falling. Gravity is an acceleration, so as gravity increases, the animal falls faster than its nerves can respond.
It depends on your definition of larger. If you mean ten times more massive, then Don Barzini should get asker's pick. If you meant ten times the diameter with the same mass, the density of the planet would have to be one fifth of earth's. This would mean the elemental composition would have to be mainly lithium and beryllium, neither of which would support any kind of life as we know it. So the tree part off your answer is moot.
Don Barzini 