Results tagged “power” from 60 Second Science

Okay, once you start smashing or pulling atoms apart, they get pretty exciting, but IBM has just published its finding on just how little force it takes to move an atom: about one-130-millionth of an ounce of force (210 piconewtons) to push a cobalt atom across platinum or only one-1,600-millionth (17 piconewtons) of an ounce of force to shove at across copper.

It takes about 30 billion piconewtons to pick up a penny.

Geeks across the world rejoiced, now able to finish every work out (or gaming session) with a shout of "I hold the power of 130 million cobalt atoms in my hand! What type of guns are these? Yeah, atom-pushing guns."

Anyone? No? Okay, just me.

Continue reading 'Atomic power actually kind of wimpy' >

Here comes the rain again…

Those April showers may bring something in addition to May flowers. You’ve heard of solar power and wind power, but what about rain power?

It's good news for all the rain dogs out there... French scientists have created a machine that can capture kinetic energy carried by a rain drop as it plummets to the ground. According to their models, the machine can capture about 12 milliwatts from a large raindrop (5 mm diameter) that hits the machine.

From the physorg.com article:

To capture the raindrops’ mechanical energy, the scientists used a PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) polymer, a piezoelectric material that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. When a raindrop impacts the 25-micrometer-thick PVDF, the polymer starts to vibrate. Electrodes embedded in the PVDF are used to recover the electrical charges generated by the vibrations.

The researchers discuss their work in Smart Materials and Structures.

Continue reading 'Powered by Rain' >