The “cold equations” referred to in Tom Godwin’s title are the calculations which confirm that the ship Stardust cannot accommodate any extra weight , and that, in accordance with laws pertaining to EDS stowaways, Marilyn, who just wanted to see her brother, must be jettisoned.
What does the title of The Cold Equations mean?
The title “The Cold Equations” refers to the calculations involved in determining how much fuel the EDS needs to safely make it down to the planet with its cargo .
What are The Cold Equations in the story The Cold Equations?
There are two “cold” equations used and referred to in Tom Godwin’s short story “The Cold Equations.” The first is the equation used to calculate the exact amount of fuel needed for an Emergency Dispatch Ship (EDS) to reach its destination; the second is the equation used to determine how long Marilyn can safely stay ...
What is the main idea of cold equations?
The main theme of “The Cold Equations” is about sacrifice . One person, although a young, pretty teen who has seen very little of life yet, has to be sacrificed for the good of others. Along with the pilot of the EDS, seven other people would die if she remained. Her life was just one life.
What is a summary of The Cold Equations?
“The Cold Equations” is a short story by Tom Godwin in which a girl named Marilyn sneaks onto a cargo ship headed for the planet where her brother lives . Marilyn hasn’t seen her brother in ten years. Unaware of the laws surrounding stowaways, Marilyn sneaks onto a cargo ship bound for the planet her brother lives on.
Is Marilyn in the cold equations good or bad?
Answer Expert Verified Marilyn in ‘The Cold Equation’ is a GOOD person . Marilyn is an innocent but ignorant eighteen years old girl who had not seeing her brother for ten years. She believed hiding in the Stardust ship, which is going to the place where here brother lives is a good mean of seeing her brother again.
How does the cold equations end?
The “cold equations” of physics admit no other solution, and in the end, Marilyn willingly lets herself be jettisoned into space . It’s a shocking ending, and in fact, it wasn’t even Godwin’s idea.
What is the law in The Cold Equations?
The pilot, Barton, discovers a stowaway: an eighteen-year-old girl. By law, all EDS stowaways are to be jettisoned because EDS vessels carry no more fuel than is absolutely necessary to land safely at their destination .
What was the most difficult part to read in The Cold Equations?
Expert Answers
This is a matter of opinion, but personally, the most difficult part for me (assuming you mean emotionally difficult rather than challenging to read) was when the girl says goodbye to her brother.
What does the pilot want in The Cold Equations?
The only thing that the pilot wants, in “The Cold Equations”, is to be able to save the stowaway that got into his spaceship without ...
What is the mood in The Cold Equations?
Mood- Mood: daunting . The mood of the setting is daunting. This is because the EDS pilot did not know how to handle the situation and the little girl did not know what she had done wrong.
What point of view is The Cold Equations written in?
Tom Godwin’s use of third-person limited point of view to narrate his short story titled “The Cold Equations” is extremely effective because, though it is an emotional story, the author creates emotional distance in order to show the reader the cold, harsh inevitability of the story’s outcome, an inevitability governed ...
What is the role of an EDS Why is it important cold equations?
What is the purpose of an EDS? To deliver supplies and and personnel to the new worlds . What method was used to determine how much fuel a particular EDS may need?
Is the pilot likely to succeed The Cold Equations?
Is the pilot likely to succeed the cold equations? In the story, “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin, Barton the pilot wanted to save Marilyn, the 18 year old girl who was considered an EDS stowaway. He most likely will not succeed because the mission he was carrying out would fail and ultimately kill a lot of people.
Does Marilyn see her brother in The Cold Equations?
In Tom Godwin’s short story “The Cold Equations,” Marilyn’s goodbye conversation with her brother, Gerry Cross, is at first very tense but softens , giving Marilyn the courage she needs to be ready to depart.
Is stowaway based on The Cold Equations?
Stowaway differs from “The Cold Equations” in that Zoe is the story’s protagonist rather than its problem, and once she’s made her sacrifice, the movie, somewhat abruptly, ends. But her death is also partly a consequence of a mistake she makes—dropping an oxygen canister.
