Another "experiment" with the Crooke's radiometer (I think that's the
correct name for the beast) is to place it near a (dare I say it?) heat
source like a fireplace or open wood stove. It will spin normally for a
while, then stop. Remove it from the vicinity of the fire, and it will
begin spinning in the opposite direction. Which supports the notion that
its behavior has to do with the gas inside the bulb interacting differently
with the light and dark sides of the vanes, rather than "radiation
pressure."
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"Vocatus atque non vocatus - Deus aderit."
- Karl Jung
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George Spagna
Department of Physics
Randolph-Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
Ashland, VA 23005-5505
phone: (804) 752-7344 FAX (804) 752-4724
e-mail: gspagna@rmc.edu http://www.rmc.edu/~gspagna/