Real-life physics in Bionicle

[fishers64]

Take a stone tile, suspend it between two saw-horses, then smack the center with a hammer (with proper eye protection of course!). Does the hole look something like the hammer's head? Probably. Does the piece on the ground bear any such resemblance? Eh, no. In fact, it is really quite "shattered", if I may say, into a bunch of smaller pieces, but not in the survivable, planet-like way. It really seems far less survivable to me than rock enveloping magma (or whatever you were suggesting).

The reason that the middle of the title is in un-survivable pieces is not because of the impact of the hammer, but the impact of the piece with the ground. In space, there isn't a "ground" that the pieces would have to "hit", so they could shatter as portrayed.

[RahiSpeak]

Change that example from a tile to a cinder-block and I think my reasoning holds.

[abstractAgamid]

About intangibility, what if it wasn't technically intangibility? What if the user's density was just set to extremely low instead of zero, would that work?

[bonesiii]

It really seems far less survivable to me than rock enveloping magma (or whatever you were suggesting).

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Whether a liquid, a collection of small fragments that flow roughly like a liquid, or large fragments, the large gravity of the whole, being blasted in roughly the same direction away from Bara Magna, is what brings it all back together into a sphere. If that gravity isn't enough, the whole thing comes apart into many pieces, under all three options. (And the atmosphere would go away anyways, etc. -- clearly the gravity has to be enough. )

 

I don't know what the point of your hammer analogy is, since pieces that fly out from a hammer impact aren't pulled together by their own gravity. If you're just saying that there can be multiple pieces, so the fracturing theory is possible, I agree, though a hammer strike is a bad analogy to my view of a more gradual explosion, with sustained force over time being what pushes the two poles into orbit rather than one sudden hit.

[Toa Of Virtues]

About intangibility, what if it wasn't technically intangibility? What if the user's density was just set to extremely low instead of zero, would that work?

 

Well, no. Hydrogen gas has an incredibly low density, but it can't pass through walls. You would need to decrease the density of both objects, and do that you need to heat it up very fast, and it would probably be easier to just light a stick of dynamite next to whatever you wanted to go through.

 

Also, you's be a gas, so that might cause some problems on its own.

[Letagi]

For intangibility, basically the only way to make it work would be to change the fundamental (electromagnetic and weak nuclear, specifically) interactions between particles in different objects, but somehow keep them the same within individual objects. I don't think it would be possible.

 

-Letagi

[RahiSpeak]

 

It really seems far less survivable to me than rock enveloping magma (or whatever you were suggesting).

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Whether a liquid, a collection of small fragments that flow roughly like a liquid, or large fragments, the large gravity of the whole, being blasted in roughly the same direction away from Bara Magna, is what brings it all back together into a sphere. If that gravity isn't enough, the whole thing comes apart into many pieces, under all three options. (And the atmosphere would go away anyways, etc. -- clearly the gravity has to be enough. )

 

I don't know what the point of your hammer analogy is, since pieces that fly out from a hammer impact aren't pulled together by their own gravity. If you're just saying that there can be multiple pieces, so the fracturing theory is possible, I agree, though a hammer strike is a bad analogy to my view of a more gradual explosion, with sustained force over time being what pushes the two poles into orbit rather than one sudden hit.

Time to explain some things. The hammer analogy was meant to illustrate the fact that an explosion underneath a layer of rock would simply blow the rock to pieces rather than form immeadeately habitable spheres. And yes, I am familiar with the concept of gravity pulling fragments together. However, this yields an incredibly low chance of survivability (I would say no possibility of surviving, but I'll refrain from use of the already mentioned universal negatives). After all, gravity would eventually pull the planets together, but only after every inhabitant has been flung off, suffocated, and frozen, and for possibly quite an extended period of time. The thing about the egg-shell theory is that the shattered rock would have been molded around something from the beginning; something that is probably molten and spinning (magnetic shield). It is also more likely with the egg-shell theory that the planets would have an atmosphere because they would be spherical from the beginning (there is something in physics about moving air tending to stick around spherical/cylindrical objects, but I forget what it's called).

 

Essentially, this just seems to be the most survivable scenario. Also, since I'm about eighty-percent-ish sure somebody will mention this, I am saying that the gravity of the magma is sufficient to hold the planets together.

[bonesiii]

After all, gravity would eventually pull the planets together, but only after every inhabitant has been flung off, suffocated, and frozen, and for possibly quite an extended period of time.

Not under the scenario I described. Most of it would be one chunk, and the circular edge around it would fall slightly, then settle around the main chunk. I'm assuming the resulting body has gravity almost at Earth level (as a real-world closest match, and making Bara smaller than in canon so SM's gravity isn't Jupiter or anything ), so they would fall together basically instantly. And whether it's molten, flowing like a liquid as small particles, or larger particles doesn't change this; the middle option is just the most surviveable, due to solving the heat problem and mostly the quake problem.

[RahiSpeak]

Okay, I think I almost get what you're saying, but what are you suggesting that Spherus Magna is made of? Aerogel?

 

And on the subject of intangibility, altering the density of an object would have no effect on whether or not it could pass through a solid wall. If there was a single atom in one cubic meter of space it would have no greater chance of passing through a steel sheet than a million atoms within the same volume. Like Letagi said, you would have to change some of the fundemental forces to make a difference. That's the theory, but in practice that would probably result in total obliteration rather than intangibility. My theory would be it uses the fourth dimension to "pass through" other objects. You may or may not have heard about the two-dimensional beings who had their path blocked by a wall. To us, that wall is just a line on ground; step over it. A two-dimensional being however, doesn't understand the the concept of "up". Same principle with the fourth-dimension; seems like a solid wall (and it is), but just step "over" it. That would also solve why those using intangibility don't fall through the earth; there just isn't anywhere to go underneath. Now how one would achieve this is beyond me, but hey, anyone want to tackle Brutaka's Olmak?

Edited January 23, 2015 by RahiSpeak

[bonesiii]

I'm not worrying about what it's made of. I would go with fairly normal rock for a real-world-ified version, personally, but since such a version is probably changing things from the canon anyways, you could imagine it differently. But canonically, there's no evidence for anything but solid, normal rock with the EP core.

[RahiSpeak]

I'm not worrying about what it's made of. I would go with fairly normal rock for a real-world-ified version, personally, but since such a version is probably changing things from the canon anyways, you could imagine it differently. But canonically, there's no evidence for anything but solid, normal rock with the EP core.

I do believe that whether Spherus Magna is hollow or not, the theory was that the planet has a rocky crust. So, yeah, since all we ever really saw was the surface, that's still okay. Maybe we can all theorize about what lies underneath later, but it appears that the subject has sort of died down.

 

Anyway, as a change in gears, I do believe that Toa Of Virtues (the guy who started this topic) wanted to know the mass of the Great Spirit Robot. I haven't any answers now, but that one image he provided of Mata Nui crashing into Aqua Magna might hold enough information to reach a conclusion. We already know or can reasonably assume that Aqua Magna has the same gravity as Earth. If someone really has a handle on manipulating 2D objects in 3D space, we could get the angle he came in at. There is more information in the image though, I'm just not exactly sure how to tackle this problem at the moment and therefore don't know what information is needed to solve it. For instance, we can see that Mata Nui skipped across the water like a flat stone. We can also see how far away he landed. Since we know the suface tension of water and, as tedious as it would be, we can calulate the Great Spirit Robot's suface area, we could perhaps calculate its speed using the above information and use that to determine its mass by other means. As of right now, all this is totally beyond me, but don't count me out of the fight!

[Toa Of Virtues]

Well, I was thinking that you could estimate the mass of the MU by estimating his volume, estimating the density of protodermis (probably similar to steel), and estimating how much of his body is hollow. Granted, that a lot of estimating, but we might get close to a realistic mass. If you tried to tried to analyze the falling Mata Nui picture, the mass would probably be very far off since the artist didn't try to make it scientifically accurate. Also, I believe stones have to spin to skip across water.

 

Still, once we find that, we could find out how powerful MN's engines must be to lift him off of a planet with Earth-like gravity.

[RahiSpeak]

Well, I was thinking that you could estimate the mass of the MU by estimating his volume, estimating the density of protodermis (probably similar to steel), and estimating how much of his body is hollow. Granted, that a lot of estimating, but we might get close to a realistic mass. If you tried to tried to analyze the falling Mata Nui picture, the mass would probably be very far off since the artist didn't try to make it scientifically accurate. Also, I believe stones have to spin to skip across water.

 

Still, once we find that, we could find out how powerful MN's engines must be to lift him off of a planet with Earth-like gravity.

We can certainly estimate the Great Spirit Robot's volume. In fact, we could probably calculate it with quite some accuracy. The weight of protodermis however, is something completely arbitrary. We could say that it is as heavy as steel or as light as plastic, yet each assumption would be just as valid as the other. I'm not entirely too sure if we can reasonably estimate how much of the Great Spirit Robot is hollow either. Even if we knew the size of each of the internal spheres, it is likely that there are many hollow areas outside of these. After all, it is mechanical and there just isn't much one can do with a solid block of protodermis.

 

Now the pictures are indeed an artist's representation, but we have been using these images the whole time anyway. The important thing is that they are canonical and no other image contradicts them.

[Toa Of Virtues]

I always imagined that protodermis was very similar to steel, probably because Ta-Metru was based off of a steel mill, but you do have a point. I guess I need to ask another question first. If we were to build Mata Nui in real life (given unlimited resources), how would we build him?

 

Given his size, it would be easier to assemble him in outer-space, but that's not what happened in the story. They did it very inefficiently by doing things like building his entire head separately, dragging it across the desert, lifting it all the way up and finally connecting it. Also, the energy it would take to lift him off of the planet would be incredible, it might have left quite a large crater in the ground. Finally, he should have his own gravitational pull. If SM had Earth-like gravity, at some point you could probably walk sideways on Mata Nui.

 

As for how much protodermis was used, I imagine the bulk of it being used in the skin, shells for the inner domes, and the four rockets (hands and feet). The rest would probably be very small in comparison.

[bonesiii]

Given his size, it would be easier to assemble him in outer-space, but that's not what happened in the story. They did it very inefficiently by doing things like building his entire head separately, dragging it across the desert, lifting it all the way up and finally connecting it. Also, the energy it would take to lift him off of the planet would be incredible, it might have left quite a large crater in the ground.

Sorry to again be unsure if we're talking in-story or real-world-ified version, but to the "they did it very inefficiently", production methods were probably easier at normal elevation and ground level. The giant clearly has gravity control, so moving pieces into place, and "gentle" takeoff are easy. And that would need to happen every time he reached an alien planet and then left it, so in-story it makes sense to build him as they did.

 

For a real-world version, though... actually the biggest problem would be the presumed cloaking device while he lands, and ocean displacement, which we presume is handled elementally. Depending on how much we try to explain for real world, that stuff wouldn't work. Probably he would rely on tiny probes that land (presuming geologic measurement accuracy is the reason for needing to land), and he wouldn't land at all, so a space construction, and never landing, would make sense. If so, then the humanoid shape may become superfluous, and we'd be looking at a more classic spacecraft design.

 

Of course, if we downscale him enough, and presume oceans big enough and aliens primitive enough (no radar, for example), maybe he could always land far away and use traditional rockets (refueling in space somehow, or something), and might not displace too much water.

 

Actually, if we don't allow for artificial gravity, the whole concept of the domes basically fails. He might have to be turned into a giant centrifugal ring in a spaceship.

[fishers64]

Aside from the fact that a 40 million foot tall robot wouldn't even fit on the Earth without causing some sort of dangerous ecological disaster...yeah, sure thing.

[RahiSpeak]

Bonesiii, I've noticed you mention "in-story" and "real-world-ified" multiple times already. Now might be a good time to clarify that we have been talking about how canonical happenings can be explained with "real-world" physics. So really, rather than things being more realistic (such as a spaceship with landing-probes rather than an incomrehensibly large humanoid robot making contact with the suface), the goal is to see how (and if) the events in the BIONICLE universe are possible according to the laws of physics.

[bonesiii]

Well aware. I'm bringing it up when wordings are ambiguous about what's being talked about at that specific time. As for the more realistic point, the topic starter said this is like Mythbusters for Bionicle, and a big part of that show is, if a myth is busted, trying to replicate the results.

[RahiSpeak]

Well aware. I'm bringing it up when wordings are ambiguous about what's being talked about at that specific time. As for the more realistic point, the topic starter said this is like Mythbusters for Bionicle, and a big part of that show is, if a myth is busted, trying to replicate the results.

Good to know; well thought; good point.

[Akavakaku]

Ok, this might sound crazy, but I have an idea for what protodermis might be: Atoms with an uncertain number of protons. By this, I mean that the number of protons in these atoms is not a whole number over any period of time, and the number can only be defined if the protons are directly observed, similar to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Let's worry about how uncertain proton numbers might be possible later.

 

So what would be the properties of such a substance? Well, it couldn't be solid, because with a varying nucleus electron attraction would also vary, preventing rigid bonds from forming. Most likely it would be liquid, due to its constant bonding and re-bonding with itself. Electrons would flow between all atoms due to the changing charges of the nuclei, so it would be very conductive and probably metallic in appearance. So far, so good!

 

And due to being able to form any bond imaginable, it would be very, very reactive. Most likely any substance it touched would be broken into atoms and ions very quickly--in other words, totally destroyed. But it would also make a shockingly effective catalyst, if only you could get its reactions to all cooperate and work towards a unified goal. Evidence of a higher power directing the "mutations?"

 

As for its stable forms, my guess would be that the Great Beings determined a way to make its proton number not static, but predictable; as in, protodermis with this many protons 20% of the time and this many 80% of the time is a solid that behaves like metal, for example. The impurities in most stable protodermis could be explained as "rogue" atoms with the incorrect proton number frequencies for that material. Perhaps stabilized protodermis constantly tends to return to its energized state, and requires periodic filtering for the correct frequencies to prevent it.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Akavakaku

[RahiSpeak]

Not bad, Akavakaku, not bad at all. There is however, a rather fundemental problem. That is, I do not think that protons can actually do what you have described. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle does indeed exist, but it is completely random (personally, I do not think it's random and that there is a logical precession that it follows but that's irrelevant for this discussion). The properties of randomness are such that all evens out in accordence with the likelyhood of an event. So yes, if you could weight the probability there would be a percent chance of a specific property, but there are several problems with this. For one, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, I do not think it is possible to weight the probability in the way you described. Even if it were possible, you would end up with a solution of different types of protodermis that are constantly changing into each other rather that stable, seperate materials. Filtering would not help in this case because again, the properties of protodermis would continue to change.

 

It also may not be as effective of a catalyst as you think. Sure, it would react with almost any substance because it can become almost any substance, but catalysts don't react with the reactants, they just make them react faster. I'm sure that's probably not what you meant, but even that aside, it still probably wouldn't work. If there were only four possible states of protodermis and one of them reacts with a certain substance, then it would only react with that substance a quarter of the time. If there were hundreds of possibilities, then even if it reacts with multiple forms it still would be a very slow reaction. Also, chemical reactions with a living entity would not result in improving said entity's abilities. Rather, it would disintegrate virtually anything it touches without resulting in any higher order.

 

Again, all that aside, I do not believe it is possible for protons to appear and disappear on the scale of a macro-substance. It may be more likely that protodermis is a large molecule, in which case there are still many possible ways to theorize about mechanics.

[Akavakaku]

Oh no, I'm totally aware that there's no known way protons could theoretically shift in number. But our model has to start somewhere, doesn't it?

 

And why wouldn't it be a catalyst? If matter were exposed to it, it would be exposed to essentially infinite different microenvironments per second, which could cause the matter to undergo every possible reaction with itself simultaneously. The reactions that raised the entropy, in other words, those that broke down the matter, would be favored.

 

About the transformations, I stated in my post that if some outside force were to properly arrange the protodermis, it could be used to transform almost anything into almost anything else, with the necessary atomic material.

 

If protodermis is a macromolecule, though, how would you say that would work?

[Letagi]

I really like your idea, Akavakaku. There might be a way around the proton problem. We could give the protodermis atom lots of protons and neurons to begin with, with them oscillating back and forth rapidly. This would be possible through manipulation of the weak nuclear force, since the neutron decays into a proton, electron, and antineutrino. Also, the principle is similar to Schrodinger, not Heisenberg. The Uncertainty Principle has to do with finding the position and momentum of a particle to certain accuracies, whereas Schrodinger is about collapsing wave functions - observing a quantum event and thus determining its outcome.

 

If we make it a macromolecule, things would be simpler. It could be a form of nanite that manually rearranges strictures at the atomic or molecular level according to some programming or directive, and if there's no program for the object in question, it's destroyed.

 

-Letagi

[Akavakaku]

One big problem I just realized with the macromolecule model: molecules can be broken. If you found a way to react protodermis, it would cease to act like protodermis, and easily could be broken down into simpler substances.

[RahiSpeak]

One big problem I just realized with the macromolecule model: molecules can be broken. If you found a way to react protodermis, it would cease to act like protodermis, and easily could be broken down into simpler substances.

I don't exactly follow why this is a big problem. Actually, that probably just makes things easier. I mean, the Great Beings started out with Energized Protodermis and then made it... not energized. Considering that it takes forms as varying as watery, molten, metal, and stone, protodermis is probably just a class or grouping of substances; like proteins form a group of bio-molecules called "protein" but they are still incredibly varying; there are literally thousands.

[Tamarutoe]

Wow. A few weeks ago I also tried to calculate the size of Aqua Magna without having seen is topic. I don't have the original work anymore, but it was something along these lines:

Based on the below image

 

 

 

I figured it was safe to assume that clouds no longer formed at about 1/10 the MU's height. (≈1200 kilometers) On earth, the highest clouds form at an altitude of up to 85 kilometers. I assumed that planetary radius and highest cloud level are proportional,  meaning Aqua Magna would have a radius of about 90000 kilometers, which is around twice the size of Jupiter. After calculating that, I realized that the much larger mass would just drag the clouds down, making the entire thing a waste of time. On the other hand, now I know that every representation of the great spirit robot depicts the clouds completely wrong.

Physics!

[RahiSpeak]

Wow. A few weeks ago I also tried to calculate the size of Aqua Magna without having seen is topic. I don't have the original work anymore, but it was something along these lines:

Based on the below image

 

I figured it was safe to assume that clouds no longer formed at about 1/10 the MU's height. (≈1200 kilometers) On earth, the highest clouds form at an altitude of up to 85 kilometers. I assumed that planetary radius and highest cloud level are proportional,  meaning Aqua Magna would have a radius of about 90000 kilometers, which is around twice the size of Jupiter. After calculating that, I realized that the much larger mass would just drag the clouds down, making the entire thing a waste of time. On the other hand, now I know that every representation of the great spirit robot depicts the clouds completely wrong.

Physics!

 Well, that might have been an easier way of doing it. I don't know enough about the atmosphere or the formation of clouds to say whether all the pictures of clouds are wrong, but if I remember correctly that is just about the size of Aqua Magna that we had estimated.

 

Any hoo, "Welcome to the 'Real-life Physics in Bionicle' topic"!

[Akavakaku]

Actually, a denser atmosphere wouldn't necessarily lower cloud height. If we assume that AM air is just like Earth's, clouds begin to form when the air is cool enough to condense water, and cease to rise when the pressure is low enough to evaporate water. The added pressure would lower the minimum altitude, but also raise the maximum altitude.

[Letagi]

I don't know much about cloud formation, but I'm fairly confident in saying it has to do with atmospheric pressure, which is partly determined by gravity. And, as I've said before, gravity is not only dictated by mass. Because the radius term in the equation is squared, size has an exponentially greater impact on gravity than mass. So, a planet much more massive than Earth may very well have the same gravity if its radius is correspondingly greater as well. In fact, if we assume that SM's surface gravity is the same as Earth's, then its cloud formation will also be similar.

 

-Letagi

[Toa Of Virtues]

I just thought of a way intangibility could exist; quantum tunneling. Because particles can act like waves, they have the possibility to pass through barriers they shouldn't be able to pass through classically. The reason why we don't see humans walk through walls is that the chances of it happening are astronomically small, but still just barely possible. If you could manipulate the wave-function of every particle in your body, you might be able to increase your chances of passing through said barrier. Granted, I'm not sure exactly how you would go about doing that...

[Letagi]

I really that idea, ToV. That's probably the best explanation of intangibility we've had yet. The mechanism to achieve it would be tricky, though. How do you influence the result of a collapsed wavefunction?

 

-Letagi

[RahiSpeak]

I don't think it is possible to influence a wave function, but since I'm not too knowledged in things that advanced, I'll leave confirmation to the guy with a picture of a partical accelerator for his avatar.

 

A few posts ago (#129) I introduced the idea of using higher dimensions to create the effect of intangibility. Still difficult to use but at least we know that it's possible.

 

Anyway, I was looking through some of the above posts and it got me thinking; if we had some pictures of agori/glatorian pulling pieces of Mata Nui (and I know there are some) and if we knew the strength of said agori/glatorian (and I think BS01 says it), then assuming the friction of sand for the ground, we could calculate how much the individual pieces weigh.

Edited January 31, 2015 by RahiSpeak

[Toa Of Virtues]

Haha, I just know the very basics of quantum tunneling, I don't know much about it. After all, my physics class is just starting to cover angular momentum, so I'm no expert. I'll do a bit of research on it this weekend, and I'll see if I can get in touch with someone who knows a lot more about it.

[Letagi]

I don't think it is possible to influence a wave function, but since I'm not too knowledged in things that advanced, I'll leave confirmation to the guy with a picture of a partical accelerator for his avatar.

 

A few posts ago (#129) I introduced the idea of using higher dimensions to create the effect of intangibility. Still difficult to use but at least we know that it's possible.

I don't think it's possible either. But it's a cool idea.

 

The problem with using higher dimensions is that it would render the intangible object/person invisible as well, which isn't consistent with what we've seen in the canon. But it would theoretically work.

 

-Letagi

[Toa Of Virtues]

Using higher dimentions really depends if string theory is true, or if we even have higher dimentions. But even if we did, I dont think we would be able to use them. In string theory, all the extra dimentions are extreamly small and curled in on themselves, and every particle is constantly vibrating through all of them. I guess you might be able to leave our dimension entirely (like in the story flatland) to go around walls, but this is so hypothetical, we couldn't even begin to understand how and if it can be done.

[RahiSpeak]

 

I don't think it is possible to influence a wave function, but since I'm not too knowledged in things that advanced, I'll leave confirmation to the guy with a picture of a partical accelerator for his avatar.

A few posts ago (#129) I introduced the idea of using higher dimensions to create the effect of intangibility. Still difficult to use but at least we know that it's possible.

 

I don't think it's possible either. But it's a cool idea.

 

The problem with using higher dimensions is that it would render the intangible object/person invisible as well, which isn't consistent with what we've seen in the canon. But it would theoretically work.

 

-Letagi

As far as being invisible goes, I was thinking that the mask or device would control the effect. If something was about to collide with it, simply move an infintesimal amount into a higher dimension to avoid collision.

 

Using higher dimentions really depends if string theory is true, or if we even have higher dimentions. But even if we did, I dont think we would be able to use them. In string theory, all the extra dimentions are extreamly small and curled in on themselves, and every particle is constantly vibrating through all of them. I guess you might be able to leave our dimension entirely (like in the story flatland) to go around walls, but this is so hypothetical, we couldn't even begin to understand how and if it can be done.

My knowledge is still limited, but I've been reading a book about NASA's history and it has mentioned something called Torsion Physics. How exactly it works is beyond me. Essentially though, rotational (or angular; I always forget) momentum causes energy to be pulled in from higher dimensions. It can do a lot of other things too like "spooky action at a distance" as Einstien phrased it and as I am too lazy to rephrase. The point is that we can interact with those higher dimensions. Perhaps energy pulled from a higher dimension can be directed toward the same higher dimension? I really don't know; just trying to introduce some new concepts here.

[Toa Of Virtues]

Why don't we tackle mask powers? One of them I'd like to know about is the mask of X-Ray vision. X-Ray vision has always been synonymous with the ability to see through things in Sci-Fi, but it's very difficult to make a pair of "X-ray goggles" in real life.

 

If you are not familiar, the X-ray machine at a dentist's office works by shining X-rays into your mouth from the outside, and that light being detected by a piece of film on the inside, making a picture of your teeth. If you tried making a mask that could do the same, it would have to produce a large amount of X-Rays, and make an image out of the reflected light. This probably isn't the healthiest of all things...

 

By the way, I just got accepted into the physics program at the University of Illinois! Woooo!

[RahiSpeak]

Try femto-photography. It has something to do with the scattering of a pulse of light that eventually returns to the camera. I do not remember exactly how it works but I do remember that it is capable of the same things as X-rays. However, instead of going through the obstacle, it goes around, no matter how complex the trail. Look it up if you want to learn more (I don't feel like it this moment).

 

By the way, congrats!

Edited February 15, 2015 by RahiSpeak

[Akavakaku]

I'd say the Akaku probably allows light traveling directly towards the user to manage to avoid the electrons of a desired thickness of matter, thus rendering that matter transparent. 

 

As for the Ruru, I think it's simply granting the wearer the ability to project and see light of a certain wavelength. The Noble form only projects and sees infrared, but the Great form can also project shorter wavelengths like visible, which allows others to see, or x-ray, which can scan through certain barriers. 

[abstractAgamid]

How about the masks of Growth and Diminishment? Weren't you supposed to die if you became a drastically different size? Simple spatial manipulation?