Democritus, who lived in the time of Plato and Aristotle, believed in the corpuscular or particle theory of matter. However, his ideas were not accepted by the leading thinkers of his day. It was not until Boltzmann developed his famous equation that the corpuscular theory became accepted. Even Boltzmann had his critics, and it was not until after his death that the leading thinkers in Boltzmann's time accepted his theory on the overwhelming scientific evidence that could be predicted from the applicati on of the now famous Boltzmann Equation.
It is said that we should learn from history. Therefore, if we consider ourselves as intelligent, we should not judge against a new idea without at least having within our possession the information which supposedly explains that idea.
The theory of Boltzman meets all the criteria of a good theory. It is based on a set of axioms or stipulations [i.e., all states of matter are composed of a number of different types of particles; the particle properties of momentum, energy, etc. are distributed statistically around some average; etc.] It has a mathematical theory developed around these axioms, which gives a method to predict observed results. Finally, the theory accurately describes results observed in nature.
There is a lot of talk today about junk science. It is easy to state that a new theory is junk science and just ignore it. However, to be fair to a new theory any professional organization or technical society must be able to judge the theory by applying the above standard three-step criteria.
For any theory that has lasted (Boltzmann's, Newton's, Einstein's, quantum, etc.) only three criteria are needed to evaluate the theory; namely, a listing of the axioms, a review of the mathematical theory based on the axioms, and a comparison between the theory and experiments.
It should be the duty of the scientific community to allow a place for new ideas to be presented. It is hoped that the ESA will always remain open mined enough to let a new theory be discussed at its Annual Meeting. On the other hand, anyone who puts forth a new theory should follow the acceptable route of clearly defining the set of axioms on which the theory is based and producing a sufficiently rigorous mathematical theory based on these axioms. Then, and only then, can experiments be compared with theory and discussions be productive.
For the Friendly Society
Albert E. Seaver
Check the address label on this issue of the Newsletter. If
you find that there is a RED DOT on it, this is our way of again
telling you that you have not as yet paid your 1997 dues and that
we are about to cancel your membership unless we hear from you
promptly. Please help us avoid this situation as we are always
reluctant to cancel any of our friends from our rolls. As usual
I will be happy to hear from you.
Emery Miller
These are members of a new group of materials which are being referred to as "adaptive materials". These materials are those alloys of this group which change their shape when they are activated by electricity or which develop an internal electrical potential when stressed. Mechanical pressure creates a measurable electrical voltage inside the material and conversely, if an electric field is applied, the piezoceramic object changes its geometry. These materials can thus be used as actuators or sensors. They respond quickly and generate large forces. According to a report in the Damlier-Benz High Tech Report "97, scientists working in their laboratories are hopeful of developing a high performance actuator which will exhibit a throw of one millimeter for a force of around one kilonewton at operating frequencies of up to 100 hertz. New materials must be developed starting with the atomic level.
Some of the interesting applications of these new materials which are being looked at are actuators which can alter the curvature of reflectors and mirrors as desired. It is stated that "such a device could substantially improve data transmission in satellite systems. Optical measuring systems or even cameras could benefit from the dramatically increased resolution associated with such actuators. It is visualized that these materials might be developed to the point where they can be used to alter the curvature of airplane wings to better suit the immediate flight conditions and thus improve flight efficiency.
Some of you may recall that at the 1984 Conference in Dayton,
Ohio, J. J.
Chatigny of Penn Walt Corp. gave us a talk on their Kynar Piezo
Film and
demonstrated the versatility of that "new" piezoelectric plastic
film.
At that time he demonstrated how these materials could be used as
stress
sensors and radio speakers. It is of interest that ESA members
were hearing, some 13 years ago, about matters which now, with
the development of newer materials, are again coming to the
attention of the scientific community.
Emery Miller
Human volunteers have been tested, anatomical measurements have been made, and the safety/danger relationship is well known. It seems that our bodies respond in two ways. If we touch a battery or wall socket (which produces a current). milliampere currents tickle, tens of milliamperes paralyze muscle tissue, and a hundred milliamperes disrupts the heart, maybe fatally.
When we touch a doorknob or a capacitor, and receive a brief shock, the important variable is the energy delivered. A few millijoules tickles, a hundred millijoules hurts, and ten joules may be fatal. These facts must be kept in mind by all good experimenters. Now listen to my cautionary tale.
I just picked up the new book Physics Over Easy, L. V. Azaroff, Univ. of Connecticut, 1996. Try these quotes:
"It is not the voltage but the product of the voltage and the current capacity that really matters."
"...a starter motor in an automobile may require as much as ten watts of power, so that a 12-volt car battery has to be able to deliver current of at least one ampere ... That is why you ... must exercise caution around a car battery."
This is very confused thinking. A starter motor draws much more than one ampere, but this has no bearing on the safety of an auto battery.
Voltage times current gives power, but that is not critical for safety.
Warning. Be careful what you read!
Glenn Schmieg
Dr. Colin Pounder, who received his PhD under Dr. Bright in England, was an avid correspondent with A. D. Moore and considered AD his mentor. (ESA member Anne S. Benninghoff says she has read four file folders of correspondence between Pounder and AD.) In a July 25, 1997 message she received from Dr. Pounder he said, "Yesterday I uploaded another section to a Web site - from Franklin's memoirs and knowing he was AD's hero I dedicated the material to AD. It is on http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/8063 An Electro-Magnetic Miscellany."
The following certificate and a bottle of fine wine were presented to Emery Miller by ESA member Ed Escallon on behalf of the newly formed Societe Francaise d'Electrostatique. ESA is proud to be an elder sister to this young organization and wishes it every success in its endeavors. It is rewarding to see the concept of the "Friendly Society" spread to other organizations.
In response to Bob Gundlach's question about a source of pith balls that appeared in Newsletter #133, Dr. Ellen R. Kuhfeld, curator at the Bachen says they have found that balsa works well. She writes: "In dry weather we humidify the balls by taking them in our cupped hands and breathing our moist breath over them. Pith is hand carved into semi-spheres. Balsa isn't as light, but it's tougher, and can be tumbled into a sphere.
Start with a long stick of balsa, square in cross-section and a bit wider that the diameter you want. Cut into cubes with a razor blade. Find a disc sander( see sketch). Clamp tubing, several inches long and a couple inches across, to the sander table. (I used PVC. A soup can would work2E) Fasten to the side where the sanding disc is rising, and leave just a hair of clearance. Add a dozen balsa cubes. Tilt the sander so the cubes slide down to touch the disc. I'll grab them, and throw them in the air. They'll bounce about and come back down. The random abrasion takes the corners down faster than the faces.
With practice you'll learn the best tilt angle, grit, and number of cubes per load. Do it outdoors with a breeze -- you'll throw a lot of balsa dust into the air.
Lightning Protection for People and Property, M. M. Frydenlund, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993. Two phrases from the forward give us a good start.
..."whether you have lost a loved one, a cow, a computer, a building, a tree, or an argument on lightning theory, this book, in one convenient volume, covers all you need to be more knowledgeable than most in dealing with the broad lightning field."
..."the field of lightning protection is fraught with half-truths, unsubstantiated claims for protection and equipment, and misapplication of protection devices and data."
Indeed, these are fair descriptions. In the first four chapters Frydenlund gives all the basics in a very readable form. What follows in chapter 5 is wonderful: a collection of nice pictures and a careful analysis of certain lightning statistics. Here the author is at his best. He has vast experience with many hundreds of reported accidents.
Later chapters deal with the NFPA lightning code and a myriad of details surrounding real operational grounding systems. Again, the author is both careful and clear with descriptions of equipment. The weakest point of the book concerns technical accuracy. It is hoped that a second edition will clear up such items as, page 83, heat production proportional to iR instead of i2R; page 92, an electric field measured in kW; pages 193-195, confusion of resistance and resistivity, with the units given as ohms / cm3 for both, when it is correct for neither.
The book concludes with a glossary and brief index. ESA
members will be
surprised to find electrostatic potential to be defined as "the
strength
of an electric field", but the book contains many good
paragraphs, and the overall style will be useful to many
practitioners in the industry.
Glenn Schmieg
The mobility of our modern society provides us with many pleasures and offers opportunities largely denied to previous generations, but it sure is a pain to those who try to keep membership lists up to date. We've put out several rosters over the years and the same scenario plays out each time. Immediately after it's distributed, we get letters, e-mail messages, and phone calls telling us about all the changes, corrections, and additions that should have been made. So the roster is really never correct, even the first day it's out! Maybe 100% accuracy can't be expected, but we're trying to get most those changes incorporated before we send it out this time. Please help us by carefully checking the information on form enclosed with this Newsletter and letting us know - now - what needs to be changed. We'll really appreciate it!