Monday, September 21, 2009
life must be easy
life must be easy
People think life is incredibly complicated and could not have evolved by random. Rather they mean that the time and space required to get where we are, is longer and bigger than we have actually had.
Surely a better conclusion is that life is actually far easier than we tend to think. Indeed we should expect simplicity throughout the whole depth of life mechanisms.
There is a parallel in 'Mandelbrot' where incredibly patterns are associated with very simple formulae. Indeed it is interesting that many see natural features in these pictures
cheers
martinW
People think life is incredibly complicated and could not have evolved by random. Rather they mean that the time and space required to get where we are, is longer and bigger than we have actually had.
Surely a better conclusion is that life is actually far easier than we tend to think. Indeed we should expect simplicity throughout the whole depth of life mechanisms.
There is a parallel in 'Mandelbrot' where incredibly patterns are associated with very simple formulae. Indeed it is interesting that many see natural features in these pictures
cheers
martinW
Sunday, September 20, 2009
getting energy out of the wind.
getting energy out of the wind.
I was thinking of how birds get energy out of a wind. There really cannot be anyway to do so in a constant wind, other than saving energy while flying a land distance downwind.
To get energy out one needs wind shear. Then one can see how one might go round in a loop and get more energy out than put in.Though in doing so they are likely to drift 'downwind' at an average speed. one could think of it relative to the average with wind going equally in two opposite directions. A windmill made up of the wings of the bird captured at regular time intervals can clearly get energy out.
Indeed this image shows how one might get energy out of a tethered single aerofoil. Run it round in a circle perpendicular to the wind, and you get a 'waterwheel' type system with the tether as a crankshaft, to a generator on the ground. hey-presto.
now all you have to do is avoid planes and tangles.
cheers
martinW
I was thinking of how birds get energy out of a wind. There really cannot be anyway to do so in a constant wind, other than saving energy while flying a land distance downwind.
To get energy out one needs wind shear. Then one can see how one might go round in a loop and get more energy out than put in.Though in doing so they are likely to drift 'downwind' at an average speed. one could think of it relative to the average with wind going equally in two opposite directions. A windmill made up of the wings of the bird captured at regular time intervals can clearly get energy out.
Indeed this image shows how one might get energy out of a tethered single aerofoil. Run it round in a circle perpendicular to the wind, and you get a 'waterwheel' type system with the tether as a crankshaft, to a generator on the ground. hey-presto.
now all you have to do is avoid planes and tangles.
cheers
martinW
Why do birds look different up and down wind?
Why do birds look different up and down wind?
birds flying into the wind always look somewhat different to those flying downwind.
Yet if the wind were constant, the bird would find it difficult to tell that it is in a wind at all, let alone which direction it is in. In perfect conditions there should be no difference.
So the observations either relate to turbulence of some sort, or the bird having some idea of absolute speed relative to the land.
One can imagine the later, in that if the bird wanted to optimise his use of energy, then he will probably want to fly harder in a wind against himself, and slower in a following wind. Indeed in a strong following wind he probably wants to keep near to stalling speed, and that probably really does change how he will look.
I will have to have a good look next time
cheers
martinW
birds flying into the wind always look somewhat different to those flying downwind.
Yet if the wind were constant, the bird would find it difficult to tell that it is in a wind at all, let alone which direction it is in. In perfect conditions there should be no difference.
So the observations either relate to turbulence of some sort, or the bird having some idea of absolute speed relative to the land.
One can imagine the later, in that if the bird wanted to optimise his use of energy, then he will probably want to fly harder in a wind against himself, and slower in a following wind. Indeed in a strong following wind he probably wants to keep near to stalling speed, and that probably really does change how he will look.
I will have to have a good look next time
cheers
martinW
Friday, September 04, 2009
staying on the ground .... martin
staying on the ground
It was very windy at Seaford the other day, and I wondered quite how the seagulls managed to stay standing on the
shingle.
Clearly they face into the wind, otherwise their feathers would have a bad day.
Provided they keep their backs relatively flat and their heads low, their body beneath forms an upside down aerofoil
and this provides a downward force which allows their legs to maintain grip. Actually this is rather better since
the ground is flat beneath, creating an even stronger low pressure under them.
Presumably the force would be greater is they bent their legs a little.
however it was so strong that they much preferred to just sit down on the shingle. Reducing any knee problems
they might have ??
cheers
martinW
