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Re: Transfering an Electrical Concept

At 6:50 AM -0600 12/20/00, brian whatcott, you wrote about Re:
Transfering an Electrical Concept:

Thanks Chuck.
One reason I imagine that mechanical impedance doesn't show up more
often is that you can't rely on linearity of forces etc., and the
quantities involved are not quite so easily measured.

Bow hunters have developed a compound bow that uses a collection of
pulleys and levers to give much better 'range' for a given pull
force. I believe that the Rube Goldbergian arrangement is to keep the
force applied by the string very NON linear indeed! The string keeps
pushing more effectively in the latter stages of the shot.

An excellent example of efficient coupling can be had with the toy
'hopper-poppers' that come from toy stores, or are made by carefully
cutting a racquet ball into two pieces, trimmed carefully.

Energy is stored (shudder) by turning the hopper-popper 'inside out'
and it is then set down on a hard surface while it slowly relaxes to
a VERY unstable shape and then 'pops' into the air.

If the inverted popper is set onto a pencil point, it will hop MUCH
higher due to the greater distance thru which the force acts.

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Chuck Britton Education is what is left when
britton@ncssm.edu you have forgotten everything
North Carolina School of Science & Math you learned in school.
(919) 286-3366 x224 Albert Einstein, 1936