The Gravitics Situation |
Appendix 3 |
The order of magnitude of the heat given off by an alloy as a result of the seperation by gravity tension can be reliably estimated. Suppose we assume that an alloy of half tin and half lead completely fills a tube 5 meters long and 100 cm2 cross section which is maintained accurately at a temperature of 277oC. At this temperature the alloy is liquid. Suppose next that the tube is raised from a horizontal plane into a vertical position, i.e. to a position where its length is parallel to the direction of gravity. If then the alloy is free from convection as it would be if it is maintained at uniform temperature and if it is held in this position for several months, the percentage of tin at the bottom of the tube will decrease while the relative amount at the top will increase. A simple calculation shows that the concentration of tin at the top is about one tenth of one percent greater than at the bottom and that approximately one calorie of heat is given off in the seperation progress. If after several months the tube is again placed so that its length is in a horizontal plane, the tin and lead will remix due to the thermal agitation of the atoms and heat is absorbed by the alloy.
Another interesting effect occurs when an electrolyte is subjected to gravity tension. Suppose a five meter glass tube is filled with a water solution of say, barium chloride and the electrical potential between its ends is measured first when the length of the tube is parallel to the horizontal and second, when its length is vertical. The difference in potential between the two ends is practically zero when the tube is horizontal and approximately eighty five microvolts when it is vertical. This effect was discovered by Des Coudres in 1892. If a resistor is attached across the ends when the tube is vertical, heat of course is produced. If the tube is maintained at constant temperature the voltage decreases with time and eventually vanishes. The effect is believed to result from the fact that the positively charged barium ions settle faster than the lighter negatively charged chlorine ions as a result of gravity tension.
In conclusion we have seen that gravity tension effects an alloy in such a way that it gives off heat. This phenomenon results from the alignment of the atoms and from their seperation by the gravitational field, the contribution of the latter being larger than that of the former. Also the gravity tension sets up a potential across the ends of a tube filled with an electrolyte and this potential when applied accross an external circuit may produce heat or drive an electric motor to furnish power. Several other small thermal effects possibly may arise from gravity tension in addition to those discussed above but space is not available to consider them in this essay. Also studies of the effect of gravitational fields and their equivalent centrifugal fields upon matter will no doubt be of great value in the future.
J.W. Beams
Next: Appendix 4 - A Link Between Gravitation and Nuclear Energy