An Experiment in Unit Conversions

[SecondGeneration]

***BEWARE: Abandon fear of math, all ye who enter here.***

At the beginning of IEW, I started to wonder what the exact relation between "real world" time and "Land" time was. "I've survived Calc 1," I said. "All this is is a unit conversion. I can do this no problem!" As it turns out, this is harder than I thought. The main problem was a lack of numbers to work with. I tried to do this with the four hours of LFB, but it was hard for me to remember exactly how much time passed in the land (I estimate something around 3 lunar months based on the moon phases). There is only one place in the first chronicles (working on WL as of this writing) where reliable equivalent times are given in specific numbers. In the beginning of IEW, TC spends five weeks in his world (count 'em) and forty years pass in the Land. Here's how the math goes as set up per my word problem method:

**Math**

Knowns:
- Land Units:
1 Land month (Lm) = 28 Land days (Ld) ((I am assuming that the Land uses lunar months. They give no indication that the calender works on anything but the moons and seasons. Yes, this does affect the numbers.))
1 Land year = 12 Lm = 336 Ld ((This assumption is based on nothing but the fact that the Land does not appear to have leap year.))

- Real World Units
1 Real World day (rwd) = 24 hours (rwh)
1 Real World week (rww) = 7 rwd = 168 rwh

40 Ly = 5 rww

Unknown:
The relationship of time between the Land and the real world

Work:

40 Ly = 5 rww
8 Ly = 1 rww ((Divided both sides by 5))
8 Ly = 2,688 Ld ((Conversion to days))
1 rww = 168 rwh ((Conversion to hrs))
2,688 Ld = 168 rwh ((Time to simplify))
16 Ld = 1 rwh

**End Math**

The first time I did this, I was very surprised that it came out so neatly. To test my numbers, I decided to try it on the four hours from LFB:

**Math**
Known:
16 Ld = 1 rwh
1 Lm = 28 Ld

Unknown:
4 rwh = x Lm

Work:
4 rwh = x Lm
4 rwh = 64 Ld
64 Ld = 2.3 Lm

**End Math**

So TC's first Land adventure lasted a little over two lunar months. From my reading for LFB, this makes sense. I couldn't find a way to use this in TPTP because no definite times are given. Still, I'm not totally confident in this as a proof because I've only read LFB once. Any comments, mathematical or otherwise, would be appreciated.

[Caesar]

Knowns:
- Land Units:
1 Land month (Lm) = 28 Land days (Ld) ((I am assuming that the Land uses lunar months. They give no indication that the calender works on anything but the moons and seasons. Yes, this does affect the numbers.))
1 Land year = 12 Lm = 336 Ld ((This assumption is based on nothing but the fact that the Land does not appear to have leap year.))

Very interesting stuff, SG. As a physicist (and by extension, a minor league mathematician), I am intrigued: since you are using lunar months (good for you, by the way!), why wouldn't you assume 13 Lm per Ly? 13*28=364, which is much closer to our year?

Excellent work, though! Keep it up.

[Caesar]

Since SRD did not give us much to work with, you've given us a good start. I seem to remember in the beginning of Illearth War that 40 days had passed in our world, while 40 years had passed in the Land. And in the beginning of TPTP, 7 days for us and 7 years for the Land...

Maybe it really is 1 day for us = 1 year for the Land...your calc shows 1 day for us = 384 days for the Land...not too far off!

[wayfriend]

Well done, SG and Ceaser. You're right on the money.

dlbpharmd: What is the time ratio between the "real world" and The Land?

• It is roughly one day in the "real world" to one year in the Land--give or take a little poetic license.
  
  (07/09/2004)

[SecondGeneration]

Caesar: I tried working the numbers with 13 Land months to a year, but it comes out to 17.3 days to an hour.

My other reason for sticking to 12 months was TC's promise with the Ranyhyn to go visit Lena at the dark of the moon after the middle of spring. A thirteenth moon in the year makes things shift around in a weird way - just compare the dates of Hanukkah to the date of Christmas! When the Foul Winter comes, the Ranyhyn would have had a harder time knowing when to go. On the other hand, I would guess that the celebration of spring would occur at the first dark after the solstice. I'll have to check.

Waymeet: I wish I had known this earlier... it would have saved a lot of math... Where did you find it?

[Caesar]

The Gradual Interview (GI) is on SRD's website. You should check it out. Lots of good info right from the Man himself...

[AjK]

Waymeet: I wish I had known this earlier... it would have saved a lot of math... Where did you find it?

At the risk of speaking for one of the more knowledgable KWers, Wayfriend is referencing SRD's Gradual Interview, a veritable treasure trove of information that can found at www.stephenrdonaldson.com/fromtheauthor/gi.php
Nice work, btw. Exactly the type of stuff I used to do...

[AjK]

And Caesar beat me to it. Sigh...

[Caesar]

the celebration of spring could actually be the second new moon after the vernal equinox...time between vernal equinox and summer solstice is approx 90 days. Half way through is about 45 days. So, in 45 days, we could have 2 dark moons...

The celebration of spring only happened on the rare occasions when the middle night of spring (45 nights after the vernal equinox) also happened to be the same time as a new moon.

Covenant's deal with the Ranyhyn required them to visit Lena every mid-spring's eve, regardless of the moon's phase.

So, the Ranyhyn would only have to wait 45 nights (approx) and then go visit Lena.

However, since you are using lunar months, look at a calendar and see how many lunar cycles per year there are...it's a real shame that our months are not keyed to the moon anymore...we could have 13 months of 28 days each and then one extra day (365 days)...just a personal wish!

Anyway, 13 or 12 lunar months per year, it doesn't really matter in the long run, b/c SRD himself said 1 real world day is almost = 1 Land year...

[Caesar]

And Caesar beat me to it. Sigh...

Sorry, AjK...

[wayfriend]

Waymeet: I wish I had known this earlier... it would have saved a lot of math... Where did you find it?

As stated, in the GI. I'm sure there are several threads about this somewhere abouts, too, but darned if I can find them quickly.

There is THIS though. According to many people, interpreting the prophesies in the bible requires interpreting 1 day to mean ... wait for it ... 1 year.

144000.net/english/the_book_of_daniels_ ... lained.htm
www.webpal.org/c_renewal/revelation/mcp/03.htm
And many other things you can find googling "1 day = 1 year".

Let's first read Ezekiel 4:6 "I have laid unto you a day for each year"
**important to remember** **for Bible Prophecy**

Bible Prophecy 1 day = 1 year

Now ain't that an interesting biblical tie-in?

[Zarathustra]

Knowns:
- Land Units:
1 Land month (Lm) = 28 Land days (Ld)

How is this a known? I don't remember reading it. Given that we're talking about two different worlds, the Land's world's moon could have a different period of orbit entirely from our moon. For that matter, length of the day could be different, too.