Recent comments in /f/explainlikeimfive
FrozenKyrie OP t1_ja69vg4 wrote
Reply to comment by twelveparsnips in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
pretty much yea lol
twelveparsnips t1_ja69sfx wrote
Reply to comment by FrozenKyrie in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
>it's about possiblity and doing something because we can
so a neat thing to look at that serves no purpose...
FrozenKyrie OP t1_ja69omu wrote
Reply to comment by twelveparsnips in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
it's not so much of needing a purpose, it's about possiblity and doing something because we can
twelveparsnips t1_ja69ia0 wrote
Reply to comment by FrozenKyrie in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
what purpose would you want to build such a machine for?
FrozenKyrie OP t1_ja698pk wrote
Reply to comment by Caucasiafro in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
didn't think of it like that but that makes sense
Caucasiafro t1_ja691g8 wrote
Reply to comment by FrozenKyrie in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
The entire problem is there's a set amount of energy you can get out of something. So the only way to make something "run for a long time" as a power source is to really really slowy take energy away from it. Why would we bother to do that?
There's simply no point.
Basically your question is like asking "if bank accounts run out eventually why haven't we just made a bank account we take money out of slowly?"
Because we want the money.
twelveparsnips t1_ja68xpb wrote
Reply to comment by FrozenKyrie in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
Because using it to power things adds drag to it and makes it eventually stop.
FrozenKyrie OP t1_ja68qt5 wrote
Reply to comment by twelveparsnips in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
so we have no need for it other than a cool thing?
TheJeeronian t1_ja68kdl wrote
Reply to eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
We have. All sorts of things can keep going for a long time. But... Why?
What's the point of a wheel that spins for a long time inside of a vacuum chamber suspended by magnets? It doesn't do anything, besides look neat. We already have devices like that, though. A digital watch can run for years on one little battery. The oxford electric bell is still ringing to this day.
twelveparsnips t1_ja68j3v wrote
Reply to eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
Probably because there's no point in making such a machine besides a neat curiosity that would require very expensive low friction bearings. The second you acknowledge it's not a perpetual motion machine, it's no longer interesting.
FrozenKyrie OP t1_ja68i1b wrote
Reply to comment by Caucasiafro in eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
that does but what I meant was something of a power source
Caucasiafro t1_ja68dn1 wrote
Reply to eli5 perpetual motion is impossible but why haven't we made something that just goes on for a really long time that we then service so it can keep going? by FrozenKyrie
We...have?
I'm not sure I understand your questions. We humans have developed lots and lots of things that just keep going as long as you input some energy.
For example, there is a clock in New Zealand called the Beverly Clock, its been running since the 1860s without having to be serviced. That probably qualifies as a long time right?
I've been to factories that have had the some machines running non-stop for 40+ years, too.
cqpa t1_ja683vn wrote
Reply to comment by Lirdon in eli5 why does metal melt and wood burn/char by cheese_grater_man69
I feel like we still haven't arrived at an "explain like I'm five" version yet, though?
So maybe something along the lines of... so there's a lot of important things that are different between wood and metals. As u/Lirdon said, metals are just raw elements (i.e. silver, nickel, etc.). The atoms in metals form a special type of bond with each other that's different from the bonds that we see in organic stuff like wood. The type of bonds formed by metals lends itself really well to going evenly from a solid into a melty liquid when you heat it.
Wood is a mix of many types of organic, non-metal compounds. The bonds that these atoms in these compounds form tend to be much, much stronger.
When non-metal stuff with those stronger types of bonds gets heated, sometimes it goes nicely from being a solid to a liquid (like the plastics and waxes that u/tdscanuck mentioned). But sometimessss things get real spicy instead. In the case of wood, the compounds completely break apart into ash, tar, and the CO2 gas. Metals don't really have the option to "break apart" into other things since the nickel, copper, etc. atoms are already in their most basic form.
Maybe? Hopefully the people who actually know chemistry can come fix this lol
Edit: apparently metals can also burn but there's a bunch of reasons when metals common forms we see them don't very often. https://www.wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2018/02/18/why-dont-metals-burn/
rvgoingtohavefun t1_ja67www wrote
Reply to comment by koalasarentferfuckin in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
Oh, you ready to blow?
Well I'm a mushroom cloud layin' motherfucker, motherfucker.
nobodyisonething t1_ja67kjg wrote
Reply to comment by BobFX in Eli5 Help, please my brain hurts. If there is an expanding ring of light from the big bang, what is outside it? by ExtremeQuality1682
There is always more than we can imagine.
https://medium.com/science-and-philosophy/insane-universe-57cc1a20262a
InsidiousTechnique t1_ja66r9u wrote
Reply to comment by jaa101 in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
Can you source this? I doubt it's true
Steveesq t1_ja66e87 wrote
Reply to comment by therealdilbert in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
EXACTLY! But it sure is fun to drive!
PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD t1_ja65zbb wrote
Reply to comment by quadmasta in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
Yup. This is one of the big dangers of tractors. They have enough torque and the tires are built to get traction on dirt that they can be very easy to flip over backwards and crush the driver.
Polar76_ t1_ja65oqq wrote
Reply to comment by koalasarentferfuckin in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
r/unexpectedPulpFiction
Naive_Composer2808 t1_ja63vcw wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
Id like to know what equipment you’re looking at, a John Deere S 980 has like a 900hp MTU engine. The new Nexat has an 1100 hp engine. Some silage choppers have 11-1200 hp engines. A typical 4wd modern tractor is 380-600 hp with 900-2000 lb-ft of torque.
Naive_Composer2808 t1_ja636lx wrote
Reply to comment by twats_upp in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
If you take the LeTourneau L-1850 and do a per unit calculation, it accelerates quicker than a late ninety’s Top Fuel Dragster.
[deleted] t1_ja62y5s wrote
explainlikeimfive-ModTeam t1_ja62fuh wrote
Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
Loaded questions, or ones based on a false premise, are not allowed on ELI5 (Rule 6).
If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the detailed rules first. If you believe this was removed erroneously, please use this form first. If you believe this was removed erroneously, please use this form and we will review your submission.
CollegeAnarchy t1_ja6a1ay wrote
Reply to comment by InsidiousTechnique in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
Here is a link to an explanation:
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-air-resistance-roughly-proportional-to-the-cube-of-speed
I understand that link is for air, but the concept Is true for any “fluid”. For all purposes of farm equipment, the soil is a fluid because it flows around the implement.
Actually, a lot of solids can be modeled as fluids when in small pieces. Fluidizing flour, sugar, and sand is how it handled on an industrial scale.