centrifugal governor
Names: centrifugal governorumbrella
First appears in Book 3: Death's End, chapter 56 (Broadcast Era, Year 7 Yun Tianming’s Fairy Tales)
Appearances
B1
B2
B3
What you know
Book 3: Death's End
- Ch 56The fairy-tale umbrella with eight ribs and stone spheres was identified by Cheng Xin as an eighteenth-century steam engine centrifugal governor.
- Ch 56Combined with the Prince Deep Water bearing coordinate, the umbrella metaphor was read as a constant speed independent of reference frame: the speed of light.
- Ch 56The bubble tree story suggested collecting light's power or lowering the speed of light; interpreters focused on lowering it as relating to the cosmic safety notice.