"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Month: June 2016
Diodes 06/03/16
“Is it possible to limit AC current to only one direction?”
Why yes we can: With the use of a little machine known as a diode, we can accomplish precisely this task. A diode takes in a sinusoidal Alternating current and cuts off the half that is not wanted. This is very useful and can be used in a multitude of applications such as solar electricity
Why Jet Engines are getting bigger 06/02/16
“Why are jet engines getting bigger?”
This is a very good question for any young engineer out there. If you ever look at a historical chart, then you will see that Jet engines have gotten larger over the past. The reason for this is that larger jet engines are simply more efficent. A jet engine receives more air the larger it’s engine diameter is and since a jet engine runs off heated air, the more air it receives, the more power it has. However, the laws of physics gives this effect some limits. Because of a combination of effects such as wind drag and structural weight, their an optimal limit for the size of jet engines. When one does the math, the optimal diameter comes down to around 4 meters, and since current jet engines are around 3.85 diameters in length, expect the growth of jet engines for the short time being. In summation, jet engines are one of the most interesting facets of engineering.
Electric dipole Isaac Gendler
06/01/16
“What happens when you have a separation of equal and opposite charge?”
The answer to this interesting little question is that you would end up with an electric dipole. And electric dipole is the separation of an equal amount of opposite charges. Dipoles are characterized by their dipole moment, which is a vector quantity. The dipole moment points from the negative to the positive charge.
Isaac's Science Blog 