Sizes of everyday objects:

[archhealer]

Ok, so, my players keep asking me for the sizes of things, to put in perspective how big various robots, machines, etc. they encounter actually are. The "Normal human = approx. 100vl" doesn't satisfy them... so... As compared to current, TL8ish, current day earth type items, this is what I've been telling them.

Toaster: 3vl
Microwave Oven: 15 to 25vl
Dishwasher: 80 to 120vl
Refrigerator: 180 to 250vl
Mini Fridge: 50 vl
Streetlight (Decorative): 200vl
Streetlight (Highway): 350vl
Traffic Light (Just the lightbox): 25 to 50vl
Case of Beer (24 bottles): 20vl
six-pack of beer: 5vl
Federal Mailbox(The big blue kind): 150vl
VCR: 5
Ham Sandwich: .5vl
Geo Prizm: 800vl
Geo Metro: 700vl
Me: 105vl (210lbs, 6'1", athletic build)


Anybody have any to add, it'd be helpful. Also, because many of these are obviously not 100% accurate, it helps reinforce the fact that volumes are an abstract measure. It was amazing to me how the case of beer seemed to become the benchmark for my players... "How many cases of beer big would you say that tank is?"

 

[Flynn]

A box that measures four inches to a side is approximately 1vl, technically. That's where I started my visualization with.

Now, personally, I think 1vl works better as the size of your average Rubic's Cube. It definitely fits the 100vl=1 human torso model a lot better.

I like your list there, and think you've got a good thing going. The VCR one sounds a bit off, I think, but then again, you may have a VCR approximately the same size as 10 ham sandwiches. Mine is a bit bigger, though definitely not the monstrosities from the early 80s.

Hope that helps,
Flynn

 

[mike wightman]

Going from the rules in the book:

1 vl is 10 litres.

That four inch box is only 1 litre, or 0.1 vl Flynn

 

[archhealer]

Ok, I know I've seen that conversion several times, but that's really, REALLY off, and I'm convinced that if it's not a typo, it's a gross miscalculation.

1 person = 1000 litres? I hardly think so.

I think 0.1 or 0.2 litres to a vl is a lot closer to the mark. The 1vl = 10 litres also breaks down if you look at the sizes of a lot of the smaller vehicles in the standard designs and in TA3. Many of those vehicles are pretty parallel to current real vehicles, and that equation would make them HUGE.

 

[princelian]

A person has a density of approximately 1 g/mL = 1 kg/L and a hefty guy might weigh 100 kg, so therefore 100 kg / 1 kg/L = 100 L = 10 vl for a typical human.

Why they use vl at all when they could just use straight-up old liters is just silly.....

 

[mike wightman]

I think if the volume of a person means seated at a control station then 100vl is probably about right.

But for a suit of form fitting battledress it is just plain wrong. You could consider the operator to be "riding" it like it says for motorbikes etc.

A neat fix is to consider the vl as a sliding scale.

For personal level 1 vl = 1 litre, but for vehicles 1 vl = 10 litres

This would mean reducing battledress to personal scale - not a bad idea either IMHO

 

[archhealer]

Somebody just asked me, how many Vls is a breadbox...

 

[shadowdragon]

1 vl = 10 liters
average human is around .06 m^3 or 60 liters
this means the average human is 6vl.
so what is the other 94vl for?

even assuming a rough estimate of the area taken up by a human of 1.87m x .609m x .305m you get approx 349L=34.9vl
so what is the other 65.1vl for?

 

[mike wightman]

Sitting at a workstation, including the chair and operating space, I can just about imagine 100vl.

But when it comes to battle dress and the like, the human form should take up only 6-10vl as you (and others ) have mentioned.