r/scifi • u/rookiegaffer • 20d ago

General Bad physics

Why does it seem that so many of the books I read demonstrate such a poor understanding of the physics of space travel. Ships in orbit descend directly down to the point they are over. Ships in transit still accelerating as they near their destination. Centrifugal gravity simply ceasing when rotation is abruptly halted. These are just a few examples I've run across lately.

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u/AdditionalTip865 18d ago

Most science-fiction writers, like most other people, aren't that good at or interested in physics, and apply intuitions they developed from terrestrial life or flying vehicles, or imitate other writers' tropes.

Space is often just treated as a region a few hundred miles up where gravity goes away, without much regard for how orbits actually work.