OK a serious answer: The energy goes into the chemical reaction. As the springs are being "eaten away" by the acid the energy is released as heat - which inturn - speeds up the reaction. Of course, eventually ( assuming that you DID get the top on the jar successfully ) that energy is found in the room that the jar is in as the heat is transferred into the air in the room. John R. Fortiner Billings MT ( where winter is approaching at a much too rapid rate ) Come to think of it, maybe we could warm up the state if we had enough jack springs. For that to work, however, the jack springs would have to be compressed in warm Florida and then transferred to Montana. :-)) On Mon, 22 Nov 1999 08:53:19 +1300 "Brian Holden" <bholden@wave.co.nz> writes: > I confess that I haven't actually done this, but consider taking a > handful of jack springs and squashing them into a small jar > containing hydrochloric acid (let 'em know whose the boss). Somehow > screw on the lid without the little beasties springing back out and > splashing the acid over your hands. Observe the springs being > slowly dissolved away by the acid. > > Question (which I'm not entirely sure what the answer is): Where > does the potential energy go that was contained in the squashed > springs? Newton said that energy must go somewhere, but in this > case - where? Brian Holden, BSc and piano tuner NZ. ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.
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