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Old 11-28-2007, 11:42 AM   #9 (permalink)
The_FD
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ok, let me try with my scheme anyway (it is attached below).
It is an autonomic system to supply electrical power to a car.

A waterwheel supplies electric power to an alternator that distribute it between a pump (P), and two motors (M). One of the motor (M1) acts to narrow or enlarge the diameter of the branch of the water circuit on which is attached the waterwheel. The other motor (M2) is the motor of the car.
The capacity area just behind the pump has elastic walls, thus it can widen or straighten depending on the pressure of water incoming.

Now imagine the system all off. To start it, I press on the capacity area, as the flow cannot go through the pump, which is off at this time, it goes other way, to the waterwheel. It makes it turn and creates electrical power that goes to the pump and let go on the water flow.
At this time you have sufficient power to set the car speed at 5mph. Now, you want to increase the speed of the car. so part of the power is dedicated to M1 to straighter the diameter of the water circuit corresponding to the waterwheel. The flow is then faster so the waterwheel goes faster and in turn produces more electric power, so the car goes faster (minus the power dedicated to keep narrow the branch of the water circuit). To increase the speed you can also increase the pump output by giving it more electric power.

No my question is, what does limit the system at its maximal speed, the water system or the electric system?

Remember that all this is made to show th limit of a categorization as often proposed by Descartes
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