Re: funny capacitor

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 13:03 3/18/01 -0500, Ludwik wrote:
> "Glenn A. Carlson" wrote:
>
> > ...The idea that the solution to Laplace's equation represent
> > states of  "minimal potential energy" is more intriguing.
> > A variational calculation should show this. The potential
> > energy density u is proportional to E^2 = (grad V)^2, and
> > integrating u over all space gives the total potential energy U...
>
> I implemented this suggestion and observed how the potential
> energy of the field decreased monotonically as the function of
> number of iterations.

It was a week or two ago that Leigh pointed out the unphysicality
of conceptualizing the iterations of a spread sheet as the time
evolution of a physical system.
I think this misconception originated with a post of John Denker's.
It may well be that a spread sheet in fact proceeds monotonically
in a direction that ends in a minimal energy state.

 It would be no criticism of an algorithm for the procedure if it
had intermediate states portraying high energy conditions.

The spreadsheet is merely a computing convenience. It is not a
real time simulation.


brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>  Altus OK
                Eureka!