Alan wrote: > Reminded me of this question that my old high school physics teacher posed: > "I you wind a watch spring extremely tightly into itself, then put it in a > stainless steel case that fits snug enough so the spring cannot unwind, then > add a drop of water and acid, then seal the whole system shut so no moisture > can enter or leave, the spring will eventually dissolve/rust away. Where did > the energy of coiled spring go?" > Harkening back to my chemistry days here... A lot of it would be dissipated as heat energy from the exothermic reaction of the acid and metal. You will most likely get some kinetic energy released as well when there is enough corrosion in the spring creates ample space for microcracks to appear. This, of course, is assuming the metal has a perfect resiliency. Springs that are tightly wound will eventually lose their "springiness" as the molecules in the metal rearrange themselves into the new shape. Again, this energy would be dissipated as heat. Bend a coathanger and feel the bend point immediately afterward and you can feel the heat created. Theoretically speaking, energy/mass is never lossed or gained, it just changes states. (E=MC^2) Did I pass that essay test? ;-) -- Andy Moore Make Moore Music - Piano Tuning & Service PO Box 240635 Apple Valley, MN 55124 email: andy@makemooremusic.com phone: 651-494-4378
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