I’m sure pirates knew the answer. Probably fighter pilots as well.

  • Kindness@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Depends on constraints.

    How far is their separation distance?

    How fast is the turning, and how fast are the ships? If it takes a year to turn around, and a day to “escape,” then yes.

    What kind of ship? Under-sea, sea, air, space? And what size?

    What does the field look like? Open, hazards, obstacles, maze?

    Conditions of the medium? Stormy, Choppy, Calm?

    How near is “caught” and how far away is “escape?” Is “caught” within range of long distance weaponry? Is escape a destination or a condition?

    It depends, but let’s assume a simple scenario of a sea ship in calm open ocean, with a turning radius of 5 ship lengths, a ship length of 40 meters, and a speed of 37.04 km/h.

    • Weaponry included and coming broadside is the bad end for the slower ship: the slower ship doesn’t stand a chance.
    • Boarding required: It’ll be a long game of cat and mouse, but the cat will win. However, if they were of equal speed it’d likely be an infinite game.