tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) (12/08/87)
What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? Enquiring minds want to know. Tom Reingold INTERNET: tr@bellcore.bellcore.com Bell Communications Research UUCP: rutgers!bellcore!tr 435 South St room 2L350 SOUNDNET: (201) 829-4622 [work] Morristown, NJ 07960 (201) 287-2345 [home]
cs161ahs@sdcc18.UUCP (12/09/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com>, tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) writes: > What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > > Enquiring minds want to know. I heard somewhere that white was the color most ticketed (by cops). I heard that it was because people used to paint their sports cars red and drive like mainiacs and get tickets. Then someone told them the statistic that red cars get lots of tickets so they painted them white. ("them" being people who drive fast sports cars)
ugjeffh@sunybcs.uucp (Jeffrey Horvath) (12/09/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: > >What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > >Enquiring minds want to know. > >Tom Reingold Why, I should imagine that you would want the interior parts that face foreward to be white, and the backwards facing parts to be black. Reasoning: The black would absorb the energy of the light, thus transferring your energy to the car in the forward direction. The white would reflect the light, thus reflecting potentially harmful backwards thrust. :-) Of course, you should always drag race with your back to the sun. Helps visibility too. Brian couple more of these :-) :-)
DOW@MAINE.BITNET (Michael R. Dow) (12/09/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com>, tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) says: > >What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > >Enquiring minds want to know. > >Tom Reingold INTERNET: tr@bellcore.bellcore.com I suggest a nice bright yellow and green plaid with bits of chartruse and crimson. M
welty@sunup.steinmetz (richard welty) (12/10/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: >What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? During the summer, I think black would be best. The heat absorbed from the sunlight should speed you up nicely :-) -- Richard Welty Phone H: 518-237-6307 W: 518-387-6346 Internet: welty@ge-crd.ARPA Usenet: uunet!steinmetz!welty ``I know what I'm giving people for Christmas -- some of them thar GE toenail clippers''
ulrich@grasp.cis.upenn.edu (Nathan Ulrich) (12/10/87)
In article <7106@sunybcs.UUCP> ugjeffh@joey.UUCP (Jeffrey Horvath) writes: >In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: >> >>What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > > Why, I should imagine that you would want the interior parts that face >foreward to be white, and the backwards facing parts to be black. > > Reasoning: > >The black would absorb the energy of the light, thus transferring your energy >to the car in the forward direction. The white would reflect the light, thus >reflecting potentially harmful backwards thrust. :-) No, no, no. According to what I remember of my statistical thermo, you want the *rear* of the car to be white. That way you take advantage of the transfer of momentum from the photons striking the car. If the surface is white, then the momentum transferred to the car per photon will be 2mccosT, where m is the mass of the photon, c is its velocity, and T is the angle of incidence. If the surface is black, then most photons will be absorbed, transferring only mccosT momentum per photon. Therefore, if the front is black, the back is white, the sides are any color, and we neglect the top, and there is equal amount of radiation from all sides, then we have a net transfer of mccosT times the photon density then integrated from 0 to pi. This must be of huge significance--think of the huge number of photons striking your car every second.... Of course, to *really* move, you should put the back (white) side of your car to the sun. :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) (by the way, I think this is how the outer space "sun-sailers" work, by using the photon pressure to move spacecraft....it really is a measurable phenomenon) Nathan Ulrich ulrich@grasp.cis.upenn.edu
daegin@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Rick Miller) (12/10/87)
ulrich@grasp.cis.upenn.edu (Nathan Ulrich) wrote: >(by the way, I think this is how the outer space "sun-sailers" work, by using >the photon pressure to move spacecraft....it really is a measurable phenomenon Well, yeah... But isn't GETTING STARTED a real bugger? I mean, I've shined a REAL BRIGHT flashlight at a mirror, and I didn't feel any push at all!!! I guess the sunlight's just a little more agressive in space...
cwc@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Christopher W. Clifton) (12/10/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: > >What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > In the summer, try white. This way you can run the air conditioner less, putting more power to the road... Another idea, especially if you want acceleration, is to eliminate the interior altogether. Go for a SuperBike! -Chris
kyl@homxb.UUCP (Cindy Parker) (12/10/87)
In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com>, tr@wind.bellcore.com (tom reingold) writes: > > What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? > > Tom Reingold INTERNET: tr@bellcore.bellcore.com It is not the interior color that makes the car go faster, it is the exterior color that is important. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! Oh, I wan'na dance with somebody ... !!! !!! Cindy Parker Beach Bums Anonymous !!! !!! ihnp4!hotlf!cap (do not email to the account I post from) !!! !!! work: (201) 949-8293 home: (201) 721-6257 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
marcos@caus-dp.UUCP (Marcos R. Della) (12/11/87)
In article <2770@super.upenn.edu>, ulrich@grasp (Nathan Ulrich) writes: >In article <7106@sunybcs.UUCP> ugjeffh@joey.UUCP (Jeffrey Horvath) writes: >>In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: >>> >>>What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? >> >> Why, I should imagine that you would want the interior parts that face >>foreward to be white, and the backwards facing parts to be black. >> >> Reasoning: >> >>The black would absorb the energy of the light, thus transferring your energy >>to the car in the forward direction. The white would reflect the light, thus >>reflecting potentially harmful backwards thrust. :-) > >No, no, no. According to what I remember of my statistical thermo, you want >the *rear* of the car to be white. That way you take advantage of the >transfer of momentum from the photons striking the car. >... Actually I think that if you really want to move faster, paint the car black, add white doors and put a red light just outside the drivers window. Then add a rise-fall noise maker and a BIG engine and you can go as fast as you want... Just don't get caught! ;-) Marcos Della -- ...!csustan ->!polyslo!caus-dp!marcos | Whatever I said doesn't ...!sdsu ---/ Marcos R. Della | mean diddly as I forgot ...!csun --/ Smail:PO Box 8104 SLO,CA 93403-8104 | it even before finishing ...!dmsd -/ Tele: (805) 544-4900 | typing it all out!!! :-)
madd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Jim Frost) (12/11/87)
In article <7106@sunybcs.UUCP> ugjeffh@joey.UUCP (Jeffrey Horvath) writes: >In article <4134@bellcore.bellcore.com> tr@wind.UUCP (tom reingold) writes: >> >>What color should my interior of my car be to make my car go faster? >> >>Enquiring minds want to know. >> >>Tom Reingold > > Why, I should imagine that you would want the interior parts that face >foreward to be white, and the backwards facing parts to be black. > > Reasoning: > >The black would absorb the energy of the light, thus transferring your energy >to the car in the forward direction. The white would reflect the light, thus >reflecting potentially harmful backwards thrust. :-) > > Of course, you should always drag race with your back to the sun. Helps >visibility too. Oh, I don't know about that. Consider the reasoning behind "solar sails". The sail is extremely reflective so that light coming after that bounces off and some energy is transfered to the ship. What you'd want would be a silvered back and do whatever you want with the front. In order for any of the colors to make any difference, you need a directional light source -- it MUST be behind you or you won't gain anything. tiny jim madd@bu-it.bu.edu home of "dribble"