Cyrano de Bergerac,in the play by Edmond Rostand,claims to have invented six methods of reaching the moon.Five of these are listed below.Select the one that has a physically sound basis.
A)"Adorn my form with crystal vials filled with morning dew,and so be drawn aloft as the sun rises."
B)"Sealing up the air in a cedar chest,rarefy it by means of mirrors placed in an icosahedron."
C)"Construct the form of a huge locust,driven upward by leaps and bounds by impulses due to pellets of saltpeter ejected from the rear."
D)"Smoke,having a natural tendency to rise,blow in a globe enough to raise me."
E)"Seated on an iron plate,I hurl a magnet in the air-the iron follows-I catch the magnet-throw again-and so proceed indefinitely."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

C) "Construct the form of a huge locust, driven upward by leaps and bounds by impulses due to pellets of saltpeter ejected from the rear." is the only option that has a physically sound basis, as it resembles the principle of rocket propulsion, where a reaction mass is expelled at high speed to provide thrust in the opposite direction.

Cyrano De Bergerac,in the Play by Edmond Rostand,claims to Have