wasser_1@viking.DEC (John A. Wasser) (05/03/85)
RE: The "two ellipsoid and sphere" perpetual motion machine: > > ...it is clear that all the light from f1 hits > either one or the other of the two ellipsoids, and that all the light > from f2 hits one of the ellipsoids (thereby going to f1) or the sphere > (thereby going back to f2). No rays hit the sphere then an ellipsoid > or vice versa. > The fact that all radiation from f1 travels to f2 but some of the radiation from f1 bounces back to f2 does not mean that f2 will have a higher temperature than f1 (and therefore there is no temperature difference to drive the PMM). Consider that if you were at f1 and looked in any direction you would see black-body radiation that depended on the temperature of f2. If f2 is colder than you, you would loose heat to it by radiation. If f2 is hotter than you you would gain heat from it. If f2 is the same temperature as you, you would neither loose nor gain. The situation at f2 is similar except part of the "universe" always has the same temperature as you (because it is just a reflection of f2). You would neither gain nor loose radiation to that section of sky so that part can be ignored. Once you ignore the spherical reflector, it is clear that the situation is the same as at f1. You loose heat if you are hotter, gain if you are cooler and do nothing when you have reached the same temperature as f1. The only difference the spherical reflector makes is that f2 will not loose or gain heat as fast as it would with a simple ellipsoidal reflector. Both focuses will end up at the same temperature eventually. I hope this puts an end to this version of the PMM. Let's see some NEW ideas. -John A. Wasser P.S. Remember that using sunlight, slowing the rotation of a planet sized mass or slowing a mass in orbit will not give you perpetual motion... just a "long term" motion machine. Work address: ARPAnet: WASSER%VIKING.DEC@decwrl.ARPA Usenet: {allegra,Shasta,decvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-viking!wasser Easynet: VIKING::WASSER Telephone: (617)486-2505 USPS: Digital Equipment Corp. Mail stop: LJO2/E4 30 Porter Rd Littleton, MA 01460