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OldChemE

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Everything posted by OldChemE

  1. If you take any two objects, keep them carefully insulated, and apply a like electrical charge to both, they will repel each other. But--its not the materials that are repelling each other, but the charges.
  2. Obviously, the best solution is to take care of the climate properly-- but things can be done. For example, here in northern Nevada we had a major reservoir go dry (<5% capacity) a couple of years ago. As a solution a wintertime cloud seeding project was started focused on the mountain systems that feed the local rivers. By cloud seeding at strategic times, the project built the snow pack to 150% of the historic norm, and the spring runoff has refilled the reservoir without any deleterious flooding.
  3. Just go to the Windows store and download the free "S switch". This immediately shuts off S mode. I did this with my HP laptop with Windows 10 S. You do not need to do anything with other computer system files. Once you do this, which takes all of 5 minutes, you can load any app. I loaded open office, thunderbird, firefox, duckduckgo, VLC media player and lots of other stuff that I prefer.
  4. It is also possible to develop breeder reactors that convert Thorium. This is less elegant, perhaps than plutonium plants, but it has been done commercially. The US Navy nuclear program operated a demonstration plant in the Shippingport power plant something like 50 years ago.
  5. Having served in the Military-- I do think it is an excellent example of Socialism. Much of this thread has focused on the Military with respect to society. I'd like to focus internally. When I was in the Military I did not have to worry about anything external to my life. My job was defined, my location was defined, my pay and benefits were totally beyond my control-- but I was cared for assured of housing, assured of medical treatment, and even life insurance. Society (the Military) took complete care of me from enlistment until discharge.
  6. I'm not the right kind of Engineer for this-- but it does not seem impossible to me at all. Consider a weight hanging from a pivot point in the aircraft. When the aircraft rolls to the left without deviating from its forward path (rotational acceleration only), the weight, responding to gravity, will pivot toward the left of the aircraft. When the aircraft rolls right, the weight will pivot to the right. If this weight was connected to some sort of control cable the action of the weight could be harnessed to counteract the roll. Now, I have not read the book and have no idea if this is what the Wright Brothers did-- but it seems to me the principle might be viable to some extent.
  7. The problem goes beyond simple lies. Prior to the Internet, the principle source of knowledge for people was books. Getting a book published took lots of effort, and the only thing that reached our schools were the textbooks selected by the school system. This was not foolproof-- but it tended to screen out some of the lies and misinformation. Now, anybody can 'publish' any sort of nonsense and reach a large audience. Virtually anyone who wishes some fact was not true can find plenty of support on the internet for their misguided hopes. It's the same as the political situation-- people with politically extreme ideas seem to have no difficulty finding some 'news' source that tells them what they want to believe.
  8. With respect, I think this thread needs to be unified with the thread explaining the difference between correlation and causation.
  9. Better to have the surgery that doesn't do the damage, and not have to wait.
  10. I would start with an average High School Algebra book. Pearson and a number of other textbook publishers make very good ones. They tend to be aimed at a population of students that have a wide range of learning styles, so they have written material, pictures, examples and other such things. Once you know what learning style fits you best you can then move on to more tailored textbooks. There are more modern teaching systems, such as "Eureka Math" but they do not have well-developed reading material and tend to be more narrow in the learning styles they address. I've taught Algebra using the older books and with Eureka Math, but the older books seem to have broader success.
  11. Not as much as in the past. The new robotic surgeries have made remarkable strides in avoiding damage ( as verified by personal experience)
  12. As iNow says, we are all ruled by chemistry. So, the discussion does indeed depend on how you define the terms. Traditionally free will has been regarded as the ability of an individual to make its own decisions using its own brain. This is still the case. Our decisions may be driven by internal factors rather than rational thought-- but ultimately, our decisions come from within us. And, since our neural connections are driven by our experiences in addition to genetics, we are all to some degree unique. Thus, I would argue we have free will. However, not all would agree with me.
  13. The question comes down to this: Should we ban X because X may lead to damage to the person who chooses to do X? As long as the individual who chooses X is the one who faces the risk, then a free society has no moral right to ban X.
  14. Mine book says non uniform in single loop, of course, but also toward the ends of a solenoid of finite length. I think the OP has been well answered by others in any case, so this probably isn't of any importance.
  15. I can't figure out how you conclude this. My old physics textbook clearly states that the magnetic field within a wire coil is "NOT uniform."
  16. This is the kind of problem that is more easily solved if you step back before turning the math crank. Look at y = x^2 and y = 16&x. y = X^2 is a parabola that passes through the origin. y = 16^x is an exponential function, and on the positive x side it rises faster than the parabola-- so it is obvious that there will be no solution for x > 0. On the negative side of the graph, 16^x approaches zero asymptotically, and is already 1/16 when x = -1 (while at x = -1 the parabola is at y = 1). Thus, it becomes obvious that the solution must lie in the region -1 < x < 0. I did a quick sketch of the two functions and it was equally obvious the crossing point had to be somewhere close to -0.5, as stated by Studiot. Understanding the shapes of functions makes trial and error, and heavy math, both unnecessary.
  17. OldChemE

    E=mc^2

    Could you be confusing chemical energy with the energy content of mass? The Free energy of different compounds and material does vary-- but that only involves a portion of the total energy.
  18. if the first point is (0 -3), as stated, then the equation is y = x - 3, not y = 0.5x + 3. If it was intended to type (0,3), but typed as (0-3) in error, then y = 0.5x + 3 is correct.
  19. And who is to decide what constitutes "how much they contribute"? Are we talking money? agricultural products? art? inspirational writings? Great food recipes? Who is to decide what constitutes a good contribution versus what is ultimately bad for society? Philosophically this might sound good but I do believe that from a practical standpoint it is a non-starter. What you are basically doing is trying to figure out a formula to increase the influence of the population that you prefer to support. That is in the same class as gerrymandering and other political pursuits. The beauty of the constitution is that it lays out principles for representation that are supposed to be above this sort of thing, and much of the time it even succeeds.
  20. iNow: I concur with both the caveats. I too would like the system to be in balance properly.
  21. You've missed the whole point of the Constitution. The Senate is designed to give equal voice to each state-- which is (in some sense) a balancing of cultural differences, while the House of Representatives gives equal voice by population, which gives a balance by population. The whole purpose is to make it so that legislation is supported both by region/culture and population. What you are suggesting takes away that balance.
  22. It seems odd to me that we have multiple theories to explain an effect that may or may not exist. Personally, I haven't found that time seems to pass more quickly as I age. Is there any actual scientific evidence that the perception of the passage of time changes as we age? or is this a case of science trying to explain anecdotal perceptions?
  23. I don't disagree-- but I think we have different tolerance levels as to what kind of engineering challenge counts as an issue.
  24. I recall from many years ago similar projects being discussed. My recollection is that there were no structural issues-- but there were efficiency issues. Solar power already evaporates water for the entire surface of the ocean and delivers it to land in the form of precipitation. This, of course, is of limited efficiency because some of the precipitations falls on the oceans, or in places it cannot be efficiently used. However, since floating desalination systems detract from the natural evaporation, they would have to be correspondingly more efficient to make a net benefit. The challenge is in making the floating system, and the energy required to retrieve the water thus produced, sufficiently efficient to make it financially superior to capturing the natural precipitation.
  25. I think my grandfather-- who was a well-educated and thoughtful man, had it worked out.. When my Father graduated from college, my grandfather sent him a handwritten note with the following message: "Wishing you throughout the years, a fullness of happiness, a diligent pursuit of purpose and a life of fruitful accomplishments (June, 1941)
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