Norlan,
Thanks for the input! I wanted to respond briefly to a couple of the
ideas you presented. The original article on the experiments done suggested,
if memory serves me, number 12 piano wire. One would have to compare
the conditions you site with the structure of piano wire which I cannot
address with full confidence. I am doubtful though that your ideas could
be the cause of the odd results. For one thing, they were using a 60 pound
sash weight at the bottom of the wire. This would be fairly heavy enough
to correct most any bias in the wire and as far as stretching is concerned, I
cannot envision an uneven stretch in piano wire but then again humans are
always prone to being proven wrong. Another problem with this idea is
that the length is 4250 feet. I don't think with a sufficient enough weight
over that length of wire any bias would be evident but we could devise an
easy test to determine if I am wrong. All one would have to do is aim a
laser beam parallel to the wire and see if the gap to the wire modulates
any.
If you want to pursue highly technical issues one might question the
curvature of light when passing by a gravity source but this is really pulling
at straws since there is such a high equivalence of gravitational field within
the confines of a single mine shaft. Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume
that the differences in gravitational force adequate to reach a threshold
whereby light beams will begin to bend is much more in the realm of a
neutron star, black hole, or even just our own yellow star, Sol. There could
be no such extreme contrast within the earth itself to facilitate such a mechanism.
One of the greater concerns for me are things such as what the exact
layout of the mines tunnels and shafts actually is at the places this experiment
was conducted. I also don't know the exact GPS (ground positioning system)
reading each of the mine shafts would have. I just expanded on an old thought
I had once considered and later discarded which I now feel could be of pivotal
importance in this plumbob question. It is something I now feel obligated to
include in any attempt to solve this problem. Hypothetically, it could be the
entire answer to the mystery, or, it might be connected to a second concept and
possibly even further connected to a third.
So, my system of investigation now includes a mandatory of look at this
new idea. If after that the problem is still unsolved, I will attempt to combine it
with a second idea, and if that doesn't yet accommodate an accurate assessment of
plumbob behavior, I will see fit to add in a third.
It's a pity I didn't possess my current level of investigative enthusiasm when
I was in high school. I might have sustained a higher grade point average!
Keep those comments and ideas coming!
Scott
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On Wed, 17 Jan 2001 23:40:58 EST [email protected] writes:
Exactly,
Fuzzy math, with a new application.
There are so many factors in this experiment that could be effecting the
outcome. Was the cord filiment or braided in nature? Was it braided tighter
on one side that on the other to cause a warp in the long distance it hung?
Was one side of the shaft moist or even wet causing a more moist side to the
cord and more stretch accordingly? Had the cord been coiled prior to usage
causing an uneven bias? And on and on. What I'm saying is that perhaps the
results were accurate and honest, but that the cause could be a relatively
unknown factor.
Norlan
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