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Just Chat! / An idea that I came up with

« on: 28/01/2009 01:32:24 »

My mind was wandering the other day when this idea hit me.

"It's not just what you are thinking about, it's what you could be thinking about."

It makes sense, I mean thought, when you have the time for it, can be very productive or superfluous.
for example, It's not wrong to think about what I would do if I hit the lottery, but it would be more productive to think about the best way to save money.
Just a thing to think about.

I figured that this would be the appropriate place for this thread, since it's purely philosophical.

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Chemistry / What happens to ice when it can't expand?

« on: 21/09/2008 23:51:16 »

I didn't know exactly where to put this, so I put it in the chemistry section because it is a question concerning matter.

Alright, everyone knows that water expands when it is frozen (about 8% of its original volume), but what happens to water if it can't expand?

Let's say that water is put into a metal sphere that is indestructible and the whole thing is put onto dry ice.  Will the water freeze inside the vessel?  Also, if it doesn't, then at what temperature will it freeze?

3

The Environment / What good does a wave do for the ocean?

« on: 29/07/2008 20:32:33 »

One day when I was at the beach I wondered what purpose waves might have in the ocean.  Because almost everything in this world benefits someone or thing in some way, if you look at it in enough depth.

A few ideas I had were:
     1. Maybe the churning of the waves oxidizes the water for the fish, kind of like an aerator for a fish tank.  Also, maybe the foam on the water (which I think is a hardened protein from fish waste) helps to clean out the water.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Newtonian mechanics, Work from centripetal acceleration?

« on: 25/07/2008 05:52:01 »

greetings,

A while ago I came across an abstract on a web page that claimed to extract work from centripetal acceleration.  It initially sounded like a misunderstanding of the math involved (and fun to poke holes in), but as I read further it sounded like it made a little sense.  Can anyone tell me if I'm overlooking anything?  Or am I on a mathematical goose chase.

Summed up:  Two weights placed opposite each other are spun in a circle around a center point. 
1. As the angular velocity increases the centripetal acceleration increases, such that a=v/r^2. 
2. Then a*M=F, to create force Fc vectored perpendicular to the direction of motion. 
3. As the centripetal acceleration increases the weights are allowed to move, thus creating the distance in the D*F=Work  equation. 
4. The weights move out, draining energy out of the system as the weights are forced to move at a higher velocity while remaining at the same RPM.  This creates a force Fa opposite the direction of motion.  However, Fc=r^2*k whereas Fa=r*k
5. As the weights spin down, the energy used to accelerate them to their angular velocity is recollected.
6. Work is extracted?

BIG problem,  Energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

If nothing else, it is a novel concept.