Last night had a half dream where I saw Mexican
jumping beans as a kind of inertial thruster. If you
ever played with them, you remember how they will be
sitting completely still on a table and suddenly jump.
What if you determine the direction of the thrust,
then superglue one bean to a thread so that the thrust
was sideways. When it kicks it would throw the bean
sideways and deflect the thread...<g>...
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http://www.toysource.com/jumpingbeans/morebeans.htm
The movements of a jumping bean are actually caused by
a caterpillar that lives inside the seed. Butterflies
of the species laspey resia saltitans deposit their
eggs in the shrub's flower.
Apparently, the seed jumps when the caterpillar grasps
the web and jerks its body vigorously. This helps
scare away birds and other animals that might try to
eat the seeds.
-------------------------
I seem to remember reading something about this where
the caterpillar folds itself in a loaded spring
position with a latch that releases to cause it to
jump. Could not find any detailed description of the
mechanism.
Also, there is a kind of springworm that throws itself
a good foot or two by using a sudden release of stored
energy.
Might make an interesting, very simple demonstration
if the thread was pushed sideways. It should do the
same thing in space, thus, a space drive that didn't
need to kick AGAINST anything.
--- "Jerry W. Decker" <jdecker@keelynet.com> wrote:
> Hi Steve et al!
>
> 5) Perfect for physics, build an inertial drive
> using a motor to drive a sliding weight. The idea
> is to provide a uni-directional thrust as in
> the Cook or Thornsen drive. The idea that the
> device pushes against ITSELF because of the sliding
> spring loaded weight. Its not overunity and is
> grossly inefficient but it is unique and physics
> denies it will work. Thornsen placed his in the bed
> of a canoe which achieved about 80 feet per minute
> with nothing in the water to propel it. The
> ultimate test is to suspend it from a rope and
> monitor deflection in the desired direction from
> where the rope is normally hanging straight down.
> Now figure out how to do this electronically and you
> have a space drive since it is 'reactionless' and
> needs no medium to push against except space itself
> by using inertia.
=====
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Please respond to jdecker@keelynet.com
as I am writing from my work email of
jwdatwork@yahoo.com.........thanks!
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