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What happens in 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. Unaware of the laws surrounding stowaways, Marilyn sneaks onto a cargo ship bound for the planet her brother lives on. …
Is the pilot in the cold equations good or bad?
Answer Expert Verified I would say the pilot’s actions are “good”. In fact, the tougher the decision he has to make, the “better” his action is. He has a mission which is greater than a single life, even if it is the life of an innocent girl who sneaked in on the ship to see her brother.
What does the title cold equations mean?
The phrase “The Cold Equations” refers to the calculatons that determine Marilyn’s fate. All Marilyn wants is to see her brother, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years. She decides, without doing her homework, to sneak onto a cargo ship bound for the frontier planet Woden, where her brother lives.
Who is the pilot in the cold equations?
The ship’s pilot, Barton, discovers the stowaway and contacts his superior for instructions. In fact, Barton knows that he is supposed to jettison the girl to save the ship and its supplies, but he is hoping that his commander will give him permission to try to carry out the mission with her on board.
What is the source of the story’s suspense in the cold equations?
The source of the story’s suspense is the uncertain fate of the young stowaway, Marilyn Lee Cross.
What is the resolution in the cold equations?
Resolution: Now that the stowaway is gone, the EDS can resume its normal flight with the fuel it has left. & lives had been saved because of the loss of one innocent life, but the computer doesn’t realize this, all it knows is that the ‘cold equation’ was balanced again.
Why was Barton shocked upon discovering the stowaway?
In Tom Godwin’s short story “The Cold Equations,” Barton is shocked upon discovering the stowaway is a young girl because most people exploring and colonizing outer space are men. Therefore, he expects the stowaway to be a man.
Who is the main character in the cold equations?
“The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin is a futuristic story set in space. The story features only two main characters–Barton the pilot and a young girl named Marilyn who is a stowaway on Barton’s EDS (emergency dispatch ship).
How does astronaut Barton know he is not alone on his emergency dispatch ship?
How does astronaut Barton know he is not alone on his Emergency Dispatch Ship? (1) The white hand of the tiny temperature gauge for the supply closet had been on zerowhen the little ship was launched from the Stardust; now, an hour later, it had crept up,indicating the presence of some kind of a body that radiated heat …
What is the central idea of the cold equation?
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 does Barton realize at the end of the story?
Even after Marilyn is discovered, and Barton realises that his stowaway is no dangerous man, but a teenage girl who is completely ignorant of the repercussions of what she has done, Barton still has to follow the law. However, what is different is the presentation of Barton after he has jettisoned Marilyn.
Is Marilyn in the cold equations a good person or a bad person what examples from the story make you think this?
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.
Is the pilot in the cold equations?
Renowned and prolific science fiction writer Tom Godwin’s short story “The Cold Equations” takes place aboard a cargo spaceship bound for a far-off planet in need of medical supplies. The ship’s pilot finds himself – and his ship – in an unexpected predicament when he discovers a stowaway on board.
Who is the antagonist in cold equations?
Marilyn Lee Cross
Why were emergency dispatch ships created?
An EDS is an “emergency dispatch ship.” The EDS’s are used to deliver emergency supplies when colonies have an unscheduled need. In “The Cold Equations” the EDS is travelling to Woden to deliver a serum for a fever that has broken out.
Why did Silas want to have another chance to work with Harold Wilson?
Why did Silas want to have another chance to work with Harold Wilson? Silas wanted a chance to learn Latin from the educated young man. Silas wanted to prove that he had skills although he didn’t have a formal education. So Silas could prove to Harold that he could find water with a hazel prong.
Who are the characters in the cold equations?
What does Marilyn know about the way people die when they are jettisoned without a spacesuit into the vacuum of space?
Once jettisoned into outer space, since she will not be wearing a space suit, scientists report that, in the vacuum of outer space, her lungs will expand, causing tissue tearing; she will lose vision as the liquid surrounding her eyes boils off in seconds; she will lose consciousness and blood circulation and die of …
What genre best describes the cold equations?
“The Cold Equations” is a science fiction short story by American writer Tom Godwin, first published in Astounding Magazine in August 1954.