posted on Feb, 26 2005 @ 03:16 AM
C. J. Cherryh's recent series of novels: Foregioner.
In this, the alien is acually never out of their home world...we crashed there. But what was interesting was that these particualr aliensare
rediculously mathematical. Some of the equations we do on a regular basis are approximations, like anything to do with PI, so they'd figure out the
whole thing, and would be more accurate for it. (basically, as soon as we'd give them the direction in math, they left us behind in the dust within
a year...)
The point: The more accurate the math is (not to mention the theory itself), the less likely it will be to fail. ...but how much have we found by
accident? How much improved/was invented because of war? How much was because of sheer imagination (ref: original Star Treck and Cell Phones, which
was truely first?)? how many times were things found on a hunch, and not scientific processes? how much was stolen from other people, or was the
fault of one researcher standing on another's work
(like this novel)? We have
so many factor that go into any individual invention. No two randominventions are likely to have been found under the same process here on earth, so
how in the world would we be able to even remotely figure out this question..... For all we know, the aliens didn't get their idea to fly until
they wanted to see a battle field.