Gilles experiment applied to a wheel

[Rapadura]

I feel that the "flight" of that aluminium disk can be used to generate enough eletric energy to provide 20 mA and 2 volts to a LED for longer time than 50 milliseconds.

And that scares me! A lot!

[Rapadura]

he is using an ammeter.  i have worked with electronics for a long time and i can say for sure that his caps are sucking back way more juice than you think.  no offence but that launcher would not be remotely feasible in the engineering of an efficient or o/u device

But the input energy was greater than 2 milijoules? Or not? I just can't believe it was just 2 milijoules!

[Rapadura]

I'm getting fucking scared!

Someone has to tell me my calculations are wrong and that the input energy was not only 2 milijoules!

I just read on Wikipedia:

One joule in everyday life is approximately:

    * the energy required to lift a small apple one meter straight up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule


WHAT ?!?!?

So with 10 millijoules (five times the input energy of Gilles), we can only lift one hundredth of a small apple one meter straight up?

Anyone else besides me thinks that a small apple does not weigh 100 times more than that aluminium disc?

Anyone else besides me thinks that disk was lifted more than just one meter?

If the input energy was really only 2 milijoules, I think I'm gonna be crazy.

[Rapadura]

If I had contact with Gilles I would propose to him to repeat the experiment, but attaching the aluminum disk to some kind of vertical rail with the least possible friction.

And on top of the aluminum disc, it could put a quarter of an apple.

If the quarter of an apple goes up more than one meter, we have an output of 250 millijoules. Very good, considering an input of only 2 millijoules.

That would be madness?

[Rapadura]

I couldn't resist... I just sent an e-mail to him (gilles.charles@univ-orleans.fr)

I wrote:



Dear Monsieur Gilles,

I watched the video in YouTube of your electromagnetic launcher:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nowIn-QdbE

I was very impressed.

In the video description you said that you used only 3 volt and 480 micro-farads. I did some calculations...

The formula to calculate the amount of joules in a capacitor, as far as I know, is this:

W = 0.5 x C x U²

So we have:

W = 0.5 x 0.000480 farads x 3 volt x 3 volt

W = 0.000240  x 9

W = 0.00216 joules.

If my calculations are not wrong, you provided to the coil only 2 milijoules. 2 milijoules = 2 miliwatt/second. It means that 2 milijoules is the energy that we need provide to a LED to make it have a current of 20 miliamps with 2 volt for just 50 miliseconds.

Then I read in Wikipedia:

"One joule in everyday life is approximately:

    * the energy required to lift a small apple one meter straight up."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule

So with 10 millijoules (five times your input energy), we can only lift one hundredth of a small apple one meter straight up... I think that a small apple does not weigh 100 times more than that aluminium disc you used... I think that disk was lifted more than just one meter...

Monsieur Gilles, I would propose to you  repeating the experiment, but attaching the aluminum disk to some kind of vertical rail with the least possible friction.

And on top of the aluminum disc, you could put a quarter of an apple. If the quarter of an apple goes up more than one meter, we have an output of 250 millijoules. Very good, considering an input of only 2 millijoules.

Sincerely,

Rapadura