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1. Apparently everyone agrees that this is not a Hero's engine using
electrons, the first myth.
2. Now the second one, electrostatic repulsion, I still have a problem
with. According to my order-of-magnitude calculations, there is more than
enough force to propel the rotator if you assume that the charges on the
propeller tip and the charge cloud are about equal, that the charging
occurs in about one millisecond,
and the range is limited to about one millimeter.
I would further assume that the charge dissipates about as
fast as it develops, spreading the charge out to where it is beyond the
range at which the force is significant, but nevertheless creating a
Coulomb force in the process.
In this case, the electrons from the tip attach themselves to atoms in the
air adjacent to the tip, forming a relatively heavy charge cloud that
assumes the reaction force and quickly scatters.
a. This clearly is an atomic effect (not molecular) because it works in
helium, according to Wolfgang.
b. No doubt there is a non-linear electric field involved - in fact, the
inverse square field is non-linear. There is a very large field at the
point. However, I do not understand how the breakup of atoms with one
being pulled toward the point can transfer momentum to the rotator. The
rotator must be the large object that ultimately assumes the reaction
force for that part or atom (or ion) that is attracted to the tip,
hits the tip, and thus presumably causes the whirlygig to rotate.
There is an experiment where you throw balls off the rotating chair at
an arms length, causing the chair to rotate.
This whirlygig explanation
seems to me to be more akin to using one of these paddle balls with a long
rubber band: you are causing the attraction, which is opposite to the
force that occurs when the ball comes back to hit the paddle, yielding a
net effect of zero.