Do Our Physics work in WoW?

[Noble]

A question that has perplexed me ever since I read the Wowpedia page on the Great Dark Beyound, if I recall correctly the page on it used to be much more different, but now it just implies the Realm to be of a more Twilight Zone themed location rather than anywhere with any real .. physical-related context. But... does Azeroth still have any actual mathematically measurable physics? Does gravity exist? Were the Blizzard writers taking any of these thoughts into mind?
Well, it seems more likely that some laws of physics do exist, while others are swapped out with others, or the simple answer to those plot holes by Blizzard or Blizzard enthusiasts would be:

Spoiler:

..Gravity, seems to exist. The reason I say this is because of the fact that all the Planets shown in Blizzard lore are round-shaped, and if you jump in-game, you plop right back down to the ground. The fact that planets are round-shaped only furthers this hypothesis, for those who want more elaboration, (and just don't happen to know) the question is why planets are round-shaped in the first place. I'm sure there are plot holes in the gravitational fields that I didn't notice. But; moving on. Does oxygen exist (therefore other elements of the periodic table), and work similarly or exactly like oxygen on our Universe? Well, it doesn't seem to work exactly like oxygen in our Universe. For one; it seems to be prevalent -ALMOST EVERYWHERE- that isn't covered in water. Well, H2o is technically composed with oxygen. Or, needs it to .. exist.

Though, Draenor, or the Outlands as it is known nowadays.. I just can't really understand how it's still sustaining life or air, at least the parts of it that were blown apart. There seems to be no freshwater resources, very little. I would also like to mention the Outlands reminds me extremely like a partially terraformed mars.. well, more like mostly deterraformed (is that a word?) Earth. Or like an Earth were one of the Doom games went badly.

I could rant on this all day, or I could just let you guys give your opinions or point out what flaws I inevitably made in this post about physics, or how ridiculous I am for making a big deal out of this. But, this brings me to my final question; Is the World of Warcraft Universe an Universe separate form our own, identical in -MANY, MANY- ways, but mathematically speaking -EXTREMELY- different? Or do all of the laws of our Universe apply with just two or three exceptions and additions (i.e magic)?

[Demigod204]

Well if you consider the fantasy plants of Zangarmarsh to be special to provide enough oxygen to the relatively small planet. I'm curious on the shapeshifting of Druids now.

[Geoni]

I'm not an expert on this topic, but I can at least add that something about the air is different on Draenor than it is on Azeroth, because the Draenei had to get adjusted to it before their wounds could heal. Aside from that, things are 'magical' and it isn't explained as to why some of the chunks in say...Nagrand float while people are perfectly attached to the ground that isn't floating. Or maybe that has been explained and I'm obtuse.

[Demigod204]

Edit: also add terrokar trees and grass. Oxygen could very well be viable.

[Noble]

Nagrand, I hadn't thought of that.. Yeah I'm pretty sure Nagrand's floating chunks would seriously mess with the gravitation funk of Draenor. Which might actually credit to some of the destruction if it started out as erm, 'demons pulling chunks of the earth out.' Though I think the floating parts would have to be much larger than they really are to effect gravity.

EDIT: Honestly, I don't think Terrokar Trees are a tree at all, or they're a seriously mutated or just evolved from a different family tree (pun not intended), from the trees of Azeroth. Which explains their different appearance. Though, there also different trees and plants outside of Zangarmarsh, and those places don't exactly look like they get too much rain. Do they?

[Demigod204]

Well parts of hellfire you can see down an abyss that leads to what seems like space, I just love the sky there though. What gases would create those lights? I wonder.

[Noble]

The darkness is actually the Twisting Nether, actually. I'm not sure what exactly equates to it glowing dark and abyssal-like. Fel magic, maybe?

[Demigod204]

The lights up in the sky is the twisting nether or just the darkness.

[Noble]

Oh no, I thought you meant the bottom of it. Yeah, that could just be a layer of fel magic and energies from the planet's cataclysm, from the orcs. Also, fel magic also might be an 'element.'

[Demigod204]

Darn you yttrium!!!! Confusing me once again!

[Duraza]

Topics about science in the fantasy genre come up often me thinks and it's fair. There's always a want to compare a fantasy world to our own to have a reference point to how we might imagine things work/don't work.

But... does Azeroth still have any actual mathematically measurable physics? Does gravity exist? Were the Blizzard writers taking any of these thoughts into mind?

I'll say though, I highly doubt Blizzard writers were thinking about physics or math at all when they were writing the settings. Gravity is fairly irrelevant when magic can simply make things fly (be it arcane of the priest ability to levitate as examples). And magic doesn't operate on any of the science we have in real life (not to say that fantasy magic cannot be done scientifically. Just that Blizzard's fantasy magic does not operate using human science).

There are plenty of ways you could think about science in Blizzard just as there are plenty of ways to think about the nature of magic and science in any fantasy setting. However I suspect that science/physics is non-existant in Blizzard. Or at least, our physics is absent in Blizzard (I suppose you could imagine there is an Azerothian science, but based off the principles of ley-lines, the arcane, alchemy, etc. Not physics, chemistry, etc like in our world).

In short: What comes up does not stay up, but that doesn't mean that it must come down.

[Holynexus]

I consider the Great Dark Beyond to be space. However, within the fantasy world and its boundaries, most people probably wouldn't understand (even the Draenei seem to use a TARDIS sort of machine, rather than a conventional warp or impulse powered spacecraft), and I consider this (and most) "lore" to be nothing but in-character mythology. One consequence is that even if physics exist in Azeroth, they are explained in flawed or incomplete methods. Just like, a long time ago, we thought matter was atoms, smallest units of matter ever, before we found atoms were made of stuff themselves, when now we are more heading towards matter as a quantum complex of discording wave lengths, etc)

In my opinion, physics, chemistry, etc. do exist (as evidenced by the goblins) though twisted to some extent, and heavily influenced by ley lines and the like. Think of it this way : on Earth, we have equations and laws. We can consider something like gravity ( F = G(m x m') / r² ) to actually be, for instance, ( F = G(m x m' / r²) + H )with H being the magical influence on the force. In our world, H is obviously null as magic does not exist; in Azeroth, this value might very well change the whole equation.

So do the laws of physics apply to Azeroth? Most certainly. But in a twisted, fantasy world sort of way (and obviously, with a ton of artistic licences, because "reality sucks").



(Don't blame my mathematical writing, I'm a linguist, not an engineer )

[CappnRob]

Let's ask a scientist with 11 hard science PhDs:



/topic over

[Grakor456]

Azeroth follows the rules of physics.

Except when it doesn't. Surprise!

Really, I presume that most of the normal laws of reality function unless there's something particular that makes the normal rules exempt. Pretty much the safest way to assume.

[Reigen]

Azeroth follows the rules of physics.

Except when it doesn't. Surprise!

Really, I presume that most of the normal laws of reality function unless there's something particular that makes the normal rules exempt. Pretty much the safest way to assume.