SCIENCE · 7:58pm Jun 25th, 2013
Hello, gentlemen. I have had an idea thus far, and I believe it has a great deal of potential. However, this idea requires extreme amounts of SCIENCE to be properly carried out.
I hope you all are familiar with the SCIENtific method, right?
Well, I want to utilize SCIENCE to explain magic in ponyland. This could help us all in many ways:
1) We could establish a balanced, universal headcanon anyone can use.
2) We gain renown as a group for contributing to the community.
3) We utilize SCIENCE and we feel good about ourselves for a few minutes.
4) This can open up many possibilities for hundreds of stories, seeing as we can discover properties of magic and the way it interacts with ponies that could lead to scientifically possible machinery in the world of Equestria.
So, what say you all?
Shall we do SCIENCE?
We obviously cannot experiment... Or can we? There are clips of the show everywhere that demonstrate the physical properties of magic and the effects it has on the world. We can also see some chemical reactions in Equestria. The activation of magic via horn being one of them, as well as the transmutation of objects into different substances.
Actual experiments?
As in test them in the real world and see what makes sense?
Sounds cool!
1167766
We can attempt the less volatile and deadly ones
, but most of it would be theory.
I like theory.
It is pretty.
The one where Rainbow saves Rarity, for example. We could do it to scale, and calculate the speed at which she would have had to pull up not to crash. We also have to determine the weight of the three wonderbolts and Rarity, something we can do by seeing how they interact with the world and replicating it.
So much SCIENCE, man... I feel like Bill Nye.
1167775
I believe part of that's already been done, some dude on Youtube did an experiment for his high school physics class in which he determined how fast RD was actually going when she went sonic.
Of course, the inferences he made were pretty simple, and there are a lot of other theories we could infer rather easily and get practical results.
Oh yes.
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PantslessForScience.png
1167779
1167793
The main focus of my SCIENCE would actually be in the magic itself though. I want to explain that pesky thing.
We know several of its properties, physical mostly, and we can see some of the chemical ones. We know it varies color depending on the pony, and we know it serves different purposes depending on said pony's mark.
We have the tools, gentlemen. We need but the mind to carry this out.
1167797
Damn right.
1167803 You said magic and Science in the same sentence. Conversation over, cause you can go where's the science in that and i can go MAGIC.
1167815
No, no. We are explaining magic through SCIENCE!
SCIENCE can explain everything! With enough time and all that jazz.
1167826 You know what first you where a crab lord now you are science freak...
HERESY
1167803
Agreed, if you want to tackle this thing in a chemical perspective, then I'm all for you. I have a deep interest in chemistry myself, but my lack of intensive knowledge on the subject might hold you back.
Let's start with levitation. Perhaps when a unicorn employs her magic to levitate something, they are releasing some sort of pheromone that reacts with the air, and when focused on a certain object causes the oxygen surrounding the object to become dense, or maybe even heat up, making the item of interest seemingly float.
1167826 'it's magic bitch i an't got to explain shit' is my philosophy on life.
1167775
except we have only observations and no tests to go on, it will all be estimates and guesstimates which isn't true science :(
1167837>>1167828
1167830 1167826 Wrong SCIENCE CAN NOT PROVE EVERYTHING...
fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/32210.png?1339649355
Explain Pinkie Pie with your science...headaches will come
1167838
That all depends on what you define as 'true science'.
Some people have made their entire life just spouting theories that no one could possibly understand, or disprove.
1167841
Cross dimensional portals, easy as that!
1167849 No hahaha!!
I mean EVERYTHING about her 
1167852
We would need a helluva lot more than some internet goons to explain her!
Pinkology, the study of Pinkie.
1167847
aye, I suppose you're right, in that instance i was using the definition of science to be finding answers to questions. and I don't usually think guesstimations count as real answers.
1167864 MEN we did it. New science
1167865
So much of our lives are dictated by uncertain answers.
You ever read the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'?
1167830
I think it has more to do with density.
The unicorn utilizes some form of chemical shot from the horn to lower the density of the object, or increase the density of the air by adding some gas to it.
1167880
If it were a chemical shot then there's a possibility that not every object the levitation was used on would work.
We've seen in the show that unicorns can levitate just about anything, so either the chemicals inside the horn are extremely adaptable, or all matter in Equestria has the same chemical makeup.
EDIT: I do agree with you that changes in density is most likely the culprit, but the means at which it would occur might differ. I'm willing to stick by the theory that heat is somehow implemented in the reaction.
1167891
Not really, since the only subject we saw levitating anything larger than a tea cup was Twilight. Other unicorns could have weaker magical capabilities due to their talent being different.
What really worries me though, is the fact that these ponies seem to be able to ignore some of our laws.
The law of conservation of matter. Twilight created a mustache out of thin air, and that should not be possible by our standards.
1167907
While this might be an exception, the princesses levitate the sun and the moon every 24 hours. Obviously, this isn't the best example to prove my point. But I think the idea of a pony's cutie mark dictating what they can and cannot do is, with some leniency, acceptable.
There are several factors that say Equestria's laws of physics are wildly different from ours. If you remember when Fluttershy fell off of Cloudsdale and was saved by a flock of butterflies.
1167930
Indeed. Gravity must work very differently there.
Transmutation also seems incredibly common.
1167933
I wouldn't be surprised if I ever went to Equestria and saw a pony that had a cutie mark in alchemy.
1167935
Oh my.
Do you think they actually found the philosophers' stone? Perhaps that's why Alicorns live forever.
I wouldn't really be surprised if I went to Equestria and suffocated. The composition for their air could be H2He for all we know.
1167939
They could live off of straight Nitrogen for all we know.
Some of my theories involving Alicorns involve radiation. I mean, they dictate the sun after all.
1167942
I always considered that their cells never stopped being replaced by new ones, which avoided natural death.
1167939
You know, that also brings up the point of their diet. In order to perform advanced functions, like speaking a language for instance, you need enough calories to support your mind's more advanced functions.
How in the holy hell do they get the energy needed to construct complex government systems when they're herbivores? Let alone perform magic.
1167949
That makes enough sense. But it might make more sense to relate them to the celestial bodies. If they're considered gods, and can move planets, where are they getting all their energy from?
We shall do schience!
Uh... I don't want to crush your enthusiasm but... some guy actually did it already.
He even did a presentation.
I have the video somewhere around here.
He basically figured out Equestria's gravity and all that other stuff. I think.
I haven't really watched much.