phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov (Philip J Ethier) (02/27/90)
There is an artical in the Jan-Feb Octagon about rust. I says that if you can keep the iron from losing electrons you help prevent rust and that is why cars have the negative terminal of the car battery connected directly to the body. This makes no sense to me at all. Sure, electrons are being added to the body there when the car is running, but the same number of electrons are being taken away from the body and returned to the battery's positive termainal thru the lights, gages, ignition etc. It amazes me that a statement like this should be made in a Britcar magazine without referrence to the fact that many British cars (like my '66 Midget) are positive earth! Now I know that my car is rusted out, but they aren't all. And there are lots of rusty negative-earth cars lying about, too. Maybe if you were able to keep negative charge on the car relative to the air and water that surrounds it this would work. All right, all you Chemists and Electrical Engineers, do positive-earth cars rust more and faster? phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov -- Login name: phile In real life: Philip J Ethier Phone: 298-5324