Engineering

In big wave surfing the wave heights are estimated based on how tall the surfer riding the wave is. The surfer is the unit of measure. IS THERE A WAY to use radar, lasers, GPS, or whatever electronic devices, to exactly measure the height of a breaking wave, from the shore in real time? For example, this is how a wave's height is currently estimated: Mike Parsons at Cortes Bank on Jan 6, 2008. 13 times overhead. 13 x 6 = 78 feet. The actual estimate was 77 feet. Here is a recent wave at Mavericks, on Dec 23, 2024, that some are calling 100 feet tall. But how tall is it really?

While working on a lightweight robotic arm for pick-and-place tasks on a mobile platform, I’ve been considering how to balance weight, durability, and manufacturability when selecting materials. In practical applications, which trade-offs have you found most significant when choosing between options like aluminium, titanium, or carbon fibre? This question arose after reading an article discussing how industrial robots are revolutionizing engineering projects, which highlighted how material choices can directly affect efficiency and design (https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2023/11/how-industrial-robots-are-revolutionizing-engineering-projects.html)."

How can advancements in smart materials, like shape memory alloys or electroactive polymers, revolutionize the design of lightweight robotic arms, especially for mobile platforms? Are there practical challenges in integrating these materials compared to traditional metals and composites?

I was thinking about the Fan on my Laptop. It goes *Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr* when I play a game on it. I was wondering how it could be quieter. I remembered Dyson's Bladeless Air Fan, but that's patented. I got stuck thinking about this for a couple of days. I saw SpaceX's Starships have Microscopic grooves all over itself. I also saw that they are 3D Printed. It finally came to me; What if....... the same area of the one Fan.......... was replaced with............... 3D Printed Microscopic Fans........ Occupying the same sapce instead.

I am trying to fit a solenoid into a greeting card to animate parts of it. I would like it to run on the sorts of power sources that could also be squeezed into a greeting card, so coin cell batteries, or very thin flexible solar panels. To that end, I have been trying to learn about how to optimize the design of a solenoid to get the most bang for my wattage, and mostly running into more and more complications. I am hoping someone can help me understand sort of practical rules of thumb for solenoid design. For example, in trying to keep my solenoid very small in diameter, I wondered if I could make up for it by making it longer. If I understand correctly, the equati…

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/02/gaza-needs-clean-water/681583/?gift=43H6YzEv1tnFbOn4MRsWYpO-bjwfSYDowDDClZ3jHe0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share The history of the pre-war systems, the struggles during the war, and some solutions hoped for after. From polluted aquifers to the salty sea. Innovative thinking is needed. Hydraulic engineering seems like a field that can only grow in importance in the coming years, all over the globe.

Don't know if this should be in the PHYSICS section or not I'm a digital animation student. I want to generate a video of what happened inside the passenger cabin of the Boeing 747, The Maid of the Seas (Pan-Am Flight103) when it exploded over Lockerbie Scotland at 31,000ft. What sort of physics would I need to map the event in realtime? 1. I've read that in a few milliseconds the explosion in the hold punched a 20" hole in the fuselage. This would cause an almost instant decompression of air exiting through the hole. Wikipedia says 0.1-0.5 seconds. Mathematically, how do I calculate exactly how fast in microseconds? 2.There are vents lining the …

I wonder if there're are tables of these in any book?

The Next Generation Bridge Table Thomas Walker 31 Dec 2024 Copy Right I have thought of this about 15 years back when the Computer Displays and Touch Functions were evolving The Table and Chairs set will be almost like the present setup Five Displays one Square Top and four matching rectangular side Panels which can be folded down for being visible to only that Player. Improvements can be made to make the side Panels Detachable to br held in hand On the Top Display Touch enabled Buttons for Deal Creation,Shuffle,Cut,Deal,Bidding Boxes,Storing Bids, Played Cards,Trick Counts etc enabled displayed and oriented according to Bridge Rules and a…

Good day. On top of a garden window I have, rain puddles on top and I placed a rag strip hanging over the edge. Works good; it wicks and drips to the point of emptying the puddle dry. Sort of a wick siphon. [ Image 1 below ] Can a wick pump water high within reason, to the point T and dripping at a lower wick point E well above the surface S ? [ image 2 above ] What are the limits ? Wick capillary properties ? Has anyone done it ? Is there a convenient type of wick material that is recommended/optimal for higher reach ?

Due to the recent bird strikes on jet engines. What if the intake of a jet engine has a weak laser barrier that cuts the birds into smaller pieces to comply to the standard digestion specifications to avoid large birds from damaging the blades. The lasers can be just enough to cover the intake, and turned off when the plane is above a higher altitude to avoid laser diversion due to atmospheric changes. Do you think this is an option?

The crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E-190 civilian airliner in Kazakhstan on 25 December 2024 appears to have been a shoot-down caused by a Russian Pantsir - S1 (Панцирь-С1) type air-defence missile that detonated near the tail of the plane, destroying the hydraulic fluid reservoirs of all three sub-systems onboard. Shrapnel damage can be clearly seen in the tail section of the plane in a number of video clips of the crash site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J04wUKZUCI The loss of hydraulic line inputs to all flight control surfaces left the crew with no means of controlling the plane other than by using throttle levers to vary the thrust of the two …

I decided to stop using the wood-fired Rayburn last year and bought a portable (single-hose air-to-air) heat pump. There’s only me in the house and I spend evenings upstairs and just need to keep the room at 18º. I’m hoping someone here knows about heat pumps because I have a few questions. I read from https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/heat-pumps/portable-heat-pumps: "Single hose portable heat pumps have one exhaust hose, which you stick out the window. The exhaust hose releases excess heat and moisture, while the heat pump absorbs air from inside the room, heats it, and releases it back into the room." I’m not sure what it means by “the exhaust hose releases exce…

Greetings. Is adding dry, pulverized-to-dust leaves a decent, beneficial way to fertilize soil for growing the same/other species that yielded those leaves ? Is there a non-industrial (not costly as for personal yard use) method to mill leaves to powder by converting/repurposing existing household appliances ? -Perhaps a clever modification for a discarded clothesdryer machine, a blender, a ...- A few cubic metres of leaves once or twice a year should do it.

Dear Members, It has never been possible to determine the elemental percent composition of multi component alloys of three or more metals from their densities alone using the Archimedes density method. It is because the multicomponent alloys constitute of underdetermined system of linear equations due to exceeding variables than the known values. On the other hand, they are always associated with infinite number of probable compositions, where determining correct composition with absolute certainty is not possible. Our family's 25-year long research journey has led to the development of the Density Decoding System (DDS), a revolutionary advancement in materials…

I am not too sure if this is the right forum category to share this. I happened upon this a few days ago and decided to share as it may be useful to anyone interested in the space station and developing projects to determine current location. This was posted to Phys.org Space station trajectory data now available https://phys.org/news/2024-12-space-station-trajectory.html Hopefully it is useful, I guess it will be useful for sites such as Heavens above ( https://www.heavens-above.com/ ), which does have details on when and where to look for the ISS Regards Paul

Hello. Did not see suggested or mandatory sharpening angle range to drill concrete/masonry/tiles. What would it be with widia tips ? ============================================================== (Pasted) --- > Drill sharpening angles refer to the angles formed between the cutting edges of a drill bit and the axis of the drill bit. The angles vary depending on the type of material being drilled and the specific purpose of the drill bit. It is important to choose the correct sharpening angle based on the material you are drilling to ensure that you achieve the desired results and prolong the life of your drill bit. Here are some of the most commo…

Hello all. I remember a flashlight in the early eighties designed for astronauts? with a near-zero self-discharge and with guarantee to work after stored for 10 years. Can you remember something about its name, chemistry...? Was sold as a 'high-end' gadget to fancy buyers to brag about it if they did not need a flashlight a decade later... I do not think batteries were removable nor replaceable. Looked like a stubby aluminium cylinder, took a couple of seconds to shine.

Addressing the Limitations of Thermal Protection Systems in Reusable Spacecraft: A Concept for an Ablative Shield with Integrated Air Pockets and Automated Repair The thermal protection system (TPS) has long been a critical factor in the design and operation of reusable spacecraft. The Space Shuttle, despite its pioneering role in reusable spaceflight, suffered significant challenges due to the complexity and maintenance demands of its heat shield tiles. These tiles, which protected the Shuttle from the intense heat of atmospheric reentry, were individually fragile, required precise positioning, and were highly susceptible to damage. Over time, the cost and labor-int…

Thousands of members of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have been injured when handheld pagers they use to communicate with one another suddenly exploded without warning this afternoon. https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/lebanon-pagers-attack-hezbollah/index.html The wave of blasts in Beirut and other areas began around 15.45 local time (1345 GMT), causing mass panic and many hundreds of signficant injuries. The casualties reportedly include Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon. According to Reuters, Hezbollah spokesmen say the incident constitutes the biggest security breach of their communications infrastructure in the history of …

I think this is the right place to ask the question. There are many tips online about how to turn off the smoke alarm. But almost no one mentions there is a control near your door, which should be able to turn of the smoke alarm. I tried it once, did not work at all. Does the control work in your house?

If I were to have my way, I would build 1. safe 2. affordable 3. energy-efficient 4. green-renewable-energy-using 5. practical 6. comfortable 7. neatly-constructed 8. long-lasting 9. mechanically reliable 10. roomy 11. good-looking 12. solid 13. quiet 14. convenient-to-drive 15. American-built 16. low-maintenance automobiles, light-duty trucks, vans and sport-utility wagons for Americans mainly.

With airplanes they have to be both light and strong. That being the case, is it possible to make an airplane that's bulletproof? Can they make an airplane that's strong enough that bullets can't penetrate the fuselage?

Apparatus Full body Green Morph Suit Green Screen Cape 360 Degree Camera on top Operational The 360 degree Camera records Live footage at 60 frames per second It projects the Live feed to the Green Screen Cape Front of Camera projects to the back of the cape, back of the Camera projects to the front of the cape

Take it one step further. Have a Cloud generator machine in the Air generate Cumulonimbus clouds. Then, absorb the Lightning somehow.