Recent content by Le Jergens

Ok, quick response before i get back later on. I am possessed of only a high school education (and not a very good one at that), so I know little of science, or any other academic matters. I will say thanks, to everyone who responded, I very much appreciated your input. And just to clarify, I'm...

So there are no *fundamental* physical laws against 100 percent conversion, but great practical barriers to it, correct? Ok, just a little more I want to know: what is the most energy efficient mechanical-to-electrical engine? And what is the most efficient electrical to mechanical engine? I...

Hey Ryan, I created another thread in the General Engineering forum titled "Limit on mechanical & electric energy conversion efficiency". Be nice if you could drop in and praise my question so that I can avoid sounding like a lone ignoramus :D

I regret to say that I know little of engineering, but, to make a long story short, I'm nagged by two questions about energy conversion efficiency. There is a thread i made titled "giant railguns recycling their own energy in space" in the science fiction & fantasy forum here that explains my...

I managed to get a copy from the library, and I looked up the passage, but I'm not sure how much I'm legally allowed to quote verbatim. I did that once a while back on a different board with a different book and they deleted it. The passage relevant to this topic would be less than about two...

True, something like that could work. One could recover some energy in such a manner. But i just can't get past the alleged level of efficiency stated in the book. That's what still nags me; as far as i remember, he literally said that the amount of energy "recaptured", or "recycled", would be...

thanks for your response, Ryan. I'm going to try to get the book from a local library if they have it, so that I can confirm the precise details. But its a rare title and it might not be in-stock. Wish me luck :) In Any case, I know the logistics of such a device are staggering in numerous...

There was a non-fiction book published a few decades back called "The Millennial Project", detailing a grandiose plan of setting humanity from current civilization into a thriving, space faring one within the next one thousand or so years. Its been so long, and I lost my copy of it, but I swear...

I'm not sure I understand exactly how or why an upside down container filled with air does not then become filled with water when submerged in it. I make the following inquiry: assuming the integrity of the material that the container is made out of, and the water itself not being deep enough...