LeoDox

Mars has an iron core; it's just not molten which prevents it from being ferromagnetic.

I have three questions:

1. Is it merely a question of mass? That is, if Mars were larger would the increased gravity increase pressure at the core and keep it molten?

2. If it IS merely a question of mass, is there any way to add mass to Mars which doesn't disturb its orbit? Because if you could, then you simultaneously solve both the problem of low gravity AND lack of magnetosphere, which together solve the problem of maintaining atmosphere. Basically the whole planet becomes extremely Earth-like

3. If increased mass wouldn't necessarily wreck its orbit, could something be done to "steer" asteroids from the Main Belt into collision courses with Mars?

I really don't know anything about orbital mechanics so maybe there's an obvious flaw in this (aside from the energy required to reroute that many asteroids).

I am genuinely not trolling, just curious coz I'm new here: what does this have to do with software? Or does HackerNews cover more than just software? Genuine question, not rhetorical

These days asking questions of an expert usually gets you a response of JFGI, but learning used to be equal parts "learning the actual thing" and "having fun and stimulating conversations with like-minded people" so without the latter, curiosity is less rewarding these days. That's why it's important for those with knowledge to give back to the community by giving of their time. CoderDojo for example

Having said that, learning has ALWAYS involved a lot of solitude and independent research - it's just that "levelling up" used to REQUIRE asking other people for advice, input and tips, whereas with the Internet it's practically expected for people to never ask for help.

Basically, back in the old days, a novice asking "explain this to me" was met with "ah! a fellow academic! how rare! OK here's how it is" whereas today it's met with "google exists for a reason".

Humans beings are motivated by social stimuli

Obvious question: how does it stack up to The Dragon Book? Haven't read either one yet but have heard of the massive reputation of TDB