Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!sri-unix!sloan@uw-tanga.arpa From: sloan@uw-tanga.arpa Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: cancelling forces Message-ID: <546@sri-arpa.ARPA> Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 15:50:00 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.546 Posted: Mon Sep 16 15:50:00 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 07:27:55 EDT Lines: 24 From: Kenneth Sloan Here's a new subject to think about, start aguments, etc. Let's say I have a robot that pushes a box. I put a certain amount of energy into it, and get most of that energy out as work performed on the box (the rest being lost to maintain the robot's life support systems). Now I set up another one of these, and place it alongside the first robot. I have them push in the same direction so that the forces add. Now the output of this system is a moving box with the same direction and twice the speed. I'm putting twice as much energy in and getting twice as much energy out. Here's the question... If I place them on opposite sides of the box, the pushes will cancel. Now I appear to be getting no energy out of this system, at least not in the form of a moving box. I am still putting as much energy into the system. All I did was move one of the devices. What is happening to the energy? Is there an output in another form of energy? Is it building up in one of the devices somewhere? -Ken Sloan Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com