Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: myself6
An alternator does NOT get harder to turn as the electrical load increases.. You F---king idi-t!

You are very, very mistaken. Why do they build water turbines at the bottom of thousand-foot dams? If a generator were no harder to turn as the electrical load went up, why wouldn't the dribble from a downspout suffice to light up NYC?

Conservation of energy, one of the most fundamental axioms of physics, is at stake.

Cut the attitude, you don't know what you're talking about.

61 posted on 07/06/2005 9:47:19 AM PDT by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies ]


To: coloradan

had a physics teacher who had a series of regular bulb lights wired onto a generator powered by an exercise bicycle.

One light was not hard. Two lights required more pedaling.

and so on until five lights were lit and it was like going up a steep hill.

It demonstrates load and resistance very very very well.


72 posted on 07/06/2005 9:58:57 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies ]

To: coloradan
Because the amount of current needed determines the SIZE generator you need to turn. Once the SIZE of the generator is figured out you determine the "cost" to turn the windings. generators run at a specific RPM , if you need more power you don't turn it faster you bring more generators on line. The cost to run THAT one generator does not change as the electrical load changes.



This isn't that hard to understand...


Im absolutely amazed at peoples lack of understanding on this...

don't they teach this stuff in high school any more?
75 posted on 07/06/2005 10:02:08 AM PDT by myself6 (Nazi = socialist , democrat=socialist , therefore democrat = Nazi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies ]

To: coloradan

"You are very, very mistaken. Why do they build water turbines at the bottom of thousand-foot dams? "

Because water has to be falling in order to convert he kinetic energy into electric energy. The more energy the water has through the height of the column of water above it, the larger the turbine you can turn to generate electricity. It has nothing to do with electrical loads. You can have zero load on the turbine and it is limited by the kinetic energy in the flow of the water. If you put an infinite electrical load on the turbine, it doesn't stop turning. You also need a constant supply of flowing water, which you are not assured of if you put your turbines at the top of a dam.


85 posted on 07/06/2005 10:16:45 AM PDT by Kirkwood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson