Posted by MrTim (152.163.252.5) on October 21, 2003 at 21:33:43:
This thought crossed my mind today:
What if the uni-directional wheel wasn't originally 'self-starting'?
Okay, follow along.
The wheel had a peg on the rim, by which a rope could be looped over it, to keep the wheel from turning.
This implies that the wheel would always be at the same stopped position when held by the rope.
Now, if the wheel wasn't originally out-of-balance, but maintained a state of equilibrium (needing a push to start it), how would you do this?
Easy! You'd put a weight inside the wheel to cause an imbalance. If the 'at-rest' position of this weight was up near the top of the wheel, and the rope was released, this weight would cause the wheel to turn toward the 'heavier' side.
Once the wheel started turning (a 'push' in other words), the mechanisms would take over, and the weight would just be along for the ride. (It wouldn't even have to be a very big weight either.) When the wheel is stopped and tied up again, that weight would be right back up toward the top, ready to give a 'push' when the wheel is free to turn again.
Just a thought....