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From: jhc@alice.UUCP (JHCondon)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: TPMMTP (Thermodynamic PMM to ponder)
Message-ID: <3676@alice.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Apr-85 18:14:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.3676
Posted: Tue Apr 30 18:14:57 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 1-May-85 04:12:02 EDT
References: <517@terak.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 45

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Some people wonder if the shape of two ellipsoids and a sphere can be created;
here is the proof by construction:
1. make a skinny ellipsoid with foci f1 and f2,
2. make a cone with vertex at f1 and axis along f1,f2 ,
3. draw a sphere with center at f2 and intersects the circle of intersection
	of the cone and skinny ellipsoid,
the sphere and cone will also intersect in another circle further out
along the cone,
4. construct the fat ellipsoid with foci f1 and f2 and through this second
intersection of cone and sphere.

With this construction it is clear that all the light from f1 hits
either one or the other of the two ellipsoids, and that all the light from
f2 hits one of the ellipsoids (thereby going to f1) or the sphere (thereby going
back to f2). No rays hit the sphere then an ellipsoid or vice versa.

This paradox was first published 50+-5 years ago by Edward U. Condon.

Another PMM ?
In some places of the world, the Bay of Biafra is one, sunlight causes
heating and evaporation which results in first tens of feet of
water being more saline and warmer than the water several hundred feet down.

Take a 200 foot long pipe and suspend it vertically with its top end
about ten feet below the surface. Now start and upward flow in the pipe
by exhaling air into the bottom end, the bubbles rising in the pipe will
drag the water along with it. As the less saline water warms
by thermal conduction through the wall of the pipe it becomes less
dense than the more saline water on the outside of the pipe. This density
difference then maintains the flow once started.

On the other hand one could start the flow downward by dropping rocks
down the pipe. (Be careful not to drop them on the diver.)
It this case the more saline water inside the pipe cools becoming denser
than the outside water and so the flow will continue downward.

Whichever direction you choose you can put a turbine with electric generator
on the end of the pipe. Any excess power should be converted into matter
in the form of rocks in case you need to restart.

Is this a perpetual motion machine?
Let's hear more about machines that run either direction.