thomas malloy wrote:
Harold Aspden showed that a gyroscope composed of a magnet, when
spun up, and then stopped, it can be returned to it's previous
motion with way less energy than was required to set it in motion
the first time. This is the Aspden Effect.
Harold Aspden is an astounding person who does elegant experiments
and writes good papers. More attention should be paid to him. His web
site is here, for those unfamiliar with his work:
http://www.energyscience.org.uk/
His discussion of whacko inventors here is one of the best, funniest
and saddest I have seen:
http://www.energyscience.org.uk/keynote1.htm
"The Repression of Invention"
Quote:
"One Friday afternoon the company [IBM] received a two-line telegram
which read 'If you do not send 5,000 pounds by return, I will not
tell you my invention'. It was from Ireland, but a little while later
there was a communication just as humorous from Australia about an
idea for electrocuting rabbits. I remember it because it had no
proper address. It was mailed to England addressed to 'The Company
that made the Canberra'. That was the name of a bomber aircraft back
in those days. The gist of the invention was the idea that when a
rabbit popped up from a rabbit hole it would interrupt a light beam,
causing a photocell to sense the presence of the rabbit and thereby
cause a bell to ring. That would frighten the rabbit which would then
withdraw and seek to escape by running to another exit hole. The
electrocution device located at that hole was then to be triggered
with a delay set according to the distance to the other hole and the
known speed of travel of the rabbit, so that the rabbit would be duly
killed. It was asserted that our engineers would have the technical
skills needed to design such a device. Now, on the face of it, this
communication was not intended as a joke, but you will agree that it
ranks as one of the many inventions that does warrant 'repression'."
- Jed
