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Re: Think?

To: "Wright, Larry" <lrw@aop.com>,
Subject: Re: Think?
From: Bob Palmer <rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu>
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 12:54:13 -0700
Larry, et Listers,

I also found Doug's posting both thought provoking and, at the same time,
humorous. I assume he intended it to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek. In that
same vein, with regard to the starter motor paradox, you and perhaps Doug
as well, may be overlooking the fact that horsepower is equal to rpm times
torque (divided by 5252). I would guess that a starter motor turns the
engine over at maybe 100 rpm. If this takes 1.5 horsepower, then turning
the motor over at 1000 rpm takes 15 hp and at 6000 rpm takes 90 hp!!  Now
where the hell did I put that can of Slick  50??

Not to be taken seriously in San Diego,

Bob

At 02:18 PM 10/1/98 -0500, Wright, Larry wrote:
>
>Doug Mallory wrote:
>*Subject: Think !!!
>
>Well, if you insist; but it _hurts_!  :-)
>
>*If you can turn an engine with a 1.5 hp starter how can an oil additive
>*increase hp more the 1.5 hp?
>
>Been mulling this one over all day, it didn't make sense at first.
>Re-reading this for the nth time, I finally come to the conclusion that
>perhaps you're suggesting that if a 1.5hp starter turns the motor over,
>then the engine's internal friction is eats 1.5hp _max_, and the
>additive, even if it reduced the internal friction to zero, cannot help
>by more than that 1.5hp. O.K., plausible statement. Hmmm, one answer
>might be that it _can't_ help more then the 1.5hp, and it's a waste of
>time to use additives. Another might be derivative of whether the
>friction is a constant at all rpm's and temperatures; if the friction
>eats way more grunt at 6000 revs (I don't know), then the additive
>wouldn't have to remove _all_ of the friction to add more than 1.5hp.
>Doug, I think you're trying to get us to dump our preconceived ideas,
>which is always good. But don't go into the business of making
>brain-teaser imprinted cocktail napkins...
>
>Lawrence R. Wright
>Purchasing Analyst
>Andrews Office Products Div. of USOP
>lrw@aop.com
>Ph. 301.386.7923  Fx. 301.386.5333
> 
Robert L. Palmer
Dept. of AMES, Univ. of Calif., San Diego
rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com

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