From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Thu Mar 16 2000 - 23:29:45 MST
EvMick@aol.com wrote:
> Get rid of all the molecules except for one. Add energy to that
> molecule....what happens?
> I speculate that it's velocity increases. How?
By absorbing photons that carry momentum. Even at the
lowest quantum levels, momentum is always conserved.
> "For ever action there is an equal and opposite reaction"
Always.
> Regarding the above mentioned solitary molecule how does that follow?
> Am I correct in these assumptions?
You are. Conservation of momentum works even for one molecule,
for one atom, for one electron, even for one photon. Now
of course as a photon increases in momentum it doesnt increase
in velocity, for that velocity is aways c. But it increases in
frequency. So, right you are EvMick.
> Assuming for the moment that I am correct then it would appear that by adding
> energy at the molecular level velocity is imparted without the need of
> reaction mass being ejected in the other direction.
It is possible to drive mass using light (photons) only, and since
photons have zero rest mass, you are technically correct, no need
of reaction mass being ejected. The photons carry the momentum.
This is a terribly inefficient means of propulsion however, in the
sense that it takes a lot of energy to produce a little delta V. spike
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:27:27 MST