Physics in Science Fiction
The following is a "slides and notes" version of a talk, written and presented to the Johns Hopkins University Society of Physics Students by Andrew E. Love Jr, a long-standing subscriber, and frequent contributor, to the Larry Niven mail list.
Notes:
A lot different later.
Two interesting not-obvious implications of the Ringworld's layout are the lack of natural resources and the lack of seasons. Resources are lacking because Ringworld just isn't that thick and was not formed by geological processes - there are no oil wells to tap or veins of metal to mine. If civilization falls, it will be tricky to revive. But what about seasons?