Posted by Alan (61.88.0.6) on May 30, 2003 at 00:38:01:
Hi all, I have a few thoughts I'd like to share...
Firstly these are brief, so dont be too harsh on me - I like this subject and reading all your posts is fascinating, so I welcome constructive criticism...
[1] Imagine a luge starting its journey down a vortex-shaped luge circular tube . lets say the track is exactly 1 turn (360 deg) and drops vertically 10 metres, so its radius is... (whatever)
As the luges speed increases, it expieriences an increasing outward force, which, causes the luge to move up the side of the tube, the faster it goes the further it moves up the side (to a point).
Anyway, at the end of the track the luge is above ground level,
with velocity (ignoring friction) according to standard physics equations - BUT the luge has not yet lost all its potential energy - it is stll higher than ground level and therefore can gain additional speed!
It seems to me that the luge is acting to 'redirect' the centrif... force, turning it vertically against gravity!
What effect does this have on the acceleration vectors acting on the luge, and hence its velocity?
[2]Reminds me of the "vortex toy" on Keelynet which several people refer to their grandfather making, which had marbles rolling down a vortex ramp, transferring energy to a paddle wheel which raised each one up to the top again, endlessly, with a dozen or so marbles in continuos cycle - which was claimed ran for weeks until bumped, dusty, ....
[3] Or Richard Clem's engine, which ran by virtue of oil being pumped into a conical vortex with 'edge jets' firing the oil out at a tangent, providing more thrust than required to pump the oil.
These all say the same thing to me, in that the laws of angular momentum are incomplete - somehow additional energy is imparted by way of the vortex/circular motion... (Isn't that in line with Hans Weidenbusch's challenge?)
In reference to Bessler, the comment that the "weights gain energy from their own swinging" (or similar, cant remember exactly) seems central.
Or, using another analogy, the "Charge Pump" principle of electronics, where brief high voltage pulses can be stored and released in a controlled manner at a raised potential - ie, if the weights could be made to swing at a high rate for a brief moment - at that moment their energy could be captured/stored/transferred to the wheel...
Keep on thinkin' Al.