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  •  may be a bit of a dreamer, (0+ / 0-)

    but the limitations of "physics" has a lot to do with the limitations of the human imagination and willingness to think beyond the box...

    Tweak it a bit, bryfry, and you may have your flying car...

    Finding your own Voice -- The personal is political!

    by In her own Voice on Wed Jan 16, 2008 at 06:51:08 AM PDT

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    •  But the concept of conservation lead to the (0+ / 0-)

      development of classical chemistry and physics, and to thermodynamics.  And thermodynamics sez TANSTAAFL. The three basic laws of thermondynamics, and other conservation laws, have been pretty well prodded without any sigh they'll get up and walk away. Oh, and trust me, there's plenty of imagination and out-of-box thinking going on, even within mainstream physicals research.

      The real world keeps tripping us up.  The loses in a maglev system include those from turbulence - even the best manmade vacuums are fairly thick, and the cost of making and maintaining that type of vacuum on a large scale would be enormous.  Other losses include those in eddy currents and reactive losses in the linear motors.

      Maglev can save a lot of energy, but it is still an energy sink.

      by wondering if on Wed Jan 16, 2008 at 10:02:03 PM PDT

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      •  energy sink (0+ / 0-)

        Please explain or post a link on the energy sink involved with maglev technology.

        Also, can you compare the energy cost ratio of maglev tech as compared to other alternative energy sources/channels?

        I realize the cost of funding most any new energy system is going to be phenomenal, but it is going to be required to shift from fossil fuels.  And it's best to think ahead to determine which ones we should invest in, considering many require fossil fuels to procure and provide.

        I am thinking not only of what energy source will cause less pollution of the environment, and which are most efficient, but which will not run into "the wall" of limits -- those which are non-renewable sources such as oil, coal, uranium -- etc.

        While scanning through internet articles on maglev tech, I discovered some wind turbines run by maglev tech.  They are being produced for sale at this time, though their claims of energy efficiency and production are still unproven...

        Finding your own Voice -- The personal is political!

        by In her own Voice on Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 08:01:01 AM PDT

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    •  All in my mind (0+ / 0-)

      think beyond the the box all you like, but if the walls are made of concrete no amount of willingness is going to get you out...

      by sila332 on Thu Jan 17, 2008 at 01:42:27 AM PDT

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