Game Theory: Is Link's Quest in Majora's Mask Pointless? - Summary

Summary

Here is a concise summary of the Game Theory episode on the moon falling in Majora's Mask:

**Title:** "Is the Falling Moon in Majora's Mask a Real Threat?"

**Summary:**

* The host, MatPat, analyzes the threat posed by the falling moon in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
* Through calculations, he determines:
+ The moon's diameter is approximately 208 feet (63.5m), much smaller than Earth's moon.
+ The moon's mass is around 450 million kg, equivalent to 75 Great Pyramids.
+ The moon's falling speed is extremely slow, about 0.001 miles per hour (30 times slower than a snail).
+ The kinetic energy generated by the moon's fall is only 36 Joules, an insignificant amount.
* However, the moon's gravitational pull, even before impact, would cause:
+ Extreme tidal bulges, flooding low-lying areas.
+ Disruption of planetary orbits, leading to severe climate fluctuations, natural disasters, and making the planet uninhabitable.
* **Conclusion:** The greatest threat to Termina is not the moon's impact, but the devastating effects of its gravitational pull, which would likely kill most inhabitants before the moon even hits the ground.

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text, excluding opinions, with each fact numbered and in short sentence form:

**Character and Game Facts**

1. Ganondorf's height is approximately 230cm (7'6") according to Hyrule Historia.
2. Link's height is approximately 4'2" (1.27m) based on character model comparisons.
3. Adult Link's height is about 1.5m (5') as measured in Dr. Mizumi's lab in Ocarina of Time.
4. The game in question is Majora's Mask, part of the Legend of Zelda series.

**Moon Size and Mass Facts**

5. The moon in Majora's Mask is approximately 208' (63.5m) wide.
6. The moon's volume is calculated to be around 134,000 cubic meters.
7. Assuming the same density as Earth's moon (3,346 kg/m³), the moon's mass is approximately 450 million kg.
8. For comparison, Earth's moon is about 1.6 quadrillion times more massive than Majora's moon.

**Moon's Energy and Speed Facts**

9. The moon's speed is calculated to be approximately 1.6 meters per hour (0.001 miles per hour).
10. The moon's kinetic energy is approximately 36 Joules.
11. For context, 1 Joule is the energy needed to lift an apple 1 meter, so 36 Joules is equivalent to lifting 36 apples.

**Scientific and Environmental Facts**

12. Moving a moon closer to a planet increases the gravitational pull, affecting tides.
13. A closer moon would cause more extreme tidal bulges, leading to flooding of low-lying coastlines.
14. If a moon were 20 times closer to a planet, it would exert a gravitational force 400 times greater than usual.
15. Such gravitational changes would destabilize planetary orbits, leading to climate shifts and increased natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes).
16. It takes approximately 2.25*10^32 Joules of energy to destroy a planet like Earth, far exceeding the moon's energy.