Science and Exploration

Midnight · 09-18-2012, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreadgeek

Midnight:

Actually, whatever else you might be able to do with superfluid helium one thing you *can't* do is make a perpetual engine. The Second Law of Thermodynamics utterly precludes any type of perpetual motion machine. The reason is that perpetual motion machines violate either of the aforementioned laws.

Perpetual motion machines of the First Kind violate the First law of Thermodynamics because they do work without an input of energy. Energy is conserved in a closed system (the Universe is a closed system, the Earth is not) which means you cannot create new energy and you can't destroy existing energy you can only transform it from state to state.

Perpetual motion machines of the Second Kind (which is the kind under discussion here) violate the Second Law because in any system where work is done there is some loss due to inefficiencies. That can't be eliminated no matter how hard you try. This means that even if you could harness the superfluid helium to drive a turbine, say, you would *still* lose some energy due to friction which would, eventually, run down the power source.

You might be able to build an exceedingly long-lived power source from superfluid helium but it wouldn't be a perpetual energy source.

Cheers
Aj

Agreed. After further research (before I read your post) superfluids would just flow around, say a waterwheel, instead of exerting energy against it to create movement. Shame!

dreadgeek · 09-18-2012, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midnight

Agreed. After further research (before I read your post) superfluids would just flow around, say a waterwheel, instead of exerting energy against it to create movement. Shame!

Isn't it though? But superfluids are one of those things that I just think are intrinsically cool. Even if there is *never* a practical application for them (and likely there will be practical applications we can't dream of now) from a purely aesthetic point of view, I like living in a universe where the laws of physics allow for such exotic states of matter.

Cheers
Aj

Corkey · 09-23-2012, 08:40 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/50-million-old...231502312.html

50 Million y/o chunk of Redwood found in diamond mine in Canada.

Toughy · 09-24-2012, 02:40 PM

The Science Channel has a new weekly series called The Code. It is about math holding the code or key to everything from music to how branches on a tree are formed to fractals......way good highly recommend it.

A new season of Curiosity is also starting.

I couldn't figure out where to post these fascinating little tidbits of news about good science related TV.........so I put it here.....

Corkey · 09-25-2012, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toughy

The Science Channel has a new weekly series called The Code. It is about math holding the code or key to everything from music to how branches on a tree are formed to fractals......way good highly recommend it.

A new season of Curiosity is also starting.

I couldn't figure out where to post these fascinating little tidbits of news about good science related TV.........so I put it here.....

Good choice, I'll be looking for the shows.

Kelt · 09-25-2012, 07:07 PM

Sadly Code is not on either netflix or amazon

Curiosity is only on amazon for rent, not on the free list

(I hate commercials enough to disallow them, streaming or nothing in this house)

dreadgeek · 09-27-2012, 02:38 PM

Evidence of an alluvial fan showing that rocks were moved by water flowing at a steady clip.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ms...l20120927.html

So it appears that at one point in its geological history, Mars had liquid water and where there is liquid water, there's the possibility of life.

Cheers
Aj

09-23-2012, 08:40 PM	#3
Corkey Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Human Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: Very Married Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Where I want to be Posts: 8,155 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 47,491 Thanked 29,270 Times in 6,637 Posts Rep Power: 21474859	http://news.yahoo.com/50-million-old...231502312.html 50 Million y/o chunk of Redwood found in diamond mine in Canada. __________________ "Many proposals have been made to us to adopt your laws, your religion, your manners and your customs. We would be better pleased with beholding the good effects of these doctrines in your own practices, than with hearing you talk about them". ~Old Tassel, Chief of the Tsalagi (Cherokee)

09-24-2012, 02:40 PM	#4
Toughy Senior Member How Do You Identify?: pervert butch feminist woman Preferred Pronoun?: see above Relationship Status: independent entity Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Oakland Posts: 1,826 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,068 Thanked 7,652 Times in 1,522 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	The Science Channel has a new weekly series called The Code. It is about math holding the code or key to everything from music to how branches on a tree are formed to fractals......way good highly recommend it. A new season of Curiosity is also starting. I couldn't figure out where to post these fascinating little tidbits of news about good science related TV.........so I put it here..... __________________ We are everywhere We are different I do not care if resistance is futile I will not assimilate www.butchfemmesocials.com/

09-27-2012, 02:38 PM	#7
dreadgeek Power Femme How Do You Identify?: Cinnamon spiced, caramel colored, power-femme Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: Married to a wonderful horse girl Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Lat: 45.60 Lon: -122.60 Posts: 1,733 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,132 Thanked 6,844 Times in 1,493 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	Evidence for Mars having had liquid water Evidence of an alluvial fan showing that rocks were moved by water flowing at a steady clip. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ms...l20120927.html So it appears that at one point in its geological history, Mars had liquid water and where there is liquid water, there's the possibility of life. Cheers Aj __________________ Proud member of the reality-based community. "People on the side of The People always ended up disappointed, in any case. They found that The People tended not to be grateful or appreciative or forward-thinking or obedient. The People tended to be small-minded and conservative and not very clever and were even distrustful of cleverness. And so, the children of the revolution were faced with the age-old problem: it wasn’t that you had the wrong kind of government, which was obvious, but that you had the wrong kind of people. As soon as you saw people as things to be measured, they didn’t measure up." (Terry Pratchett)

09-25-2012, 07:07 PM	#6
Kelt Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Beach Butch Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,751 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 19,765 Thanked 15,303 Times in 2,539 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Sadly Code is not on either netflix or amazon Curiosity is only on amazon for rent, not on the free list (I hate commercials enough to disallow them, streaming or nothing in this house)