Re: Ringworlds & Dyson Spheres

>
>Actually, it's occurred to me that building a ringworld is a waste of 
>time and effort. Why not just terraform the planets you're destroying in 
>the process of building the ringworld? Seems to me that the time and 
>energy needs could be better used to terraform a whole buncha planets! 
>Besides, what race would actually need all the space of a ringworld for 
>their population? If they've got that much of a population explosion, 
>they should have already figured out a cheap 'n easy way of terraforming. 
>What do you think about *them* apples?
>

No, no, no.  The problem with planets is that 90% of the mass is INSIDE,
not in the crust, so you can't get at it and can't use it.  In a ringworld,
a much greater quantity of the mass will be available as surface area.  
This is much more efficient.

Kent Peterson
kent@?????.???????.???.edu