On Feb 10, 8:25*am, Pentcho Valev wrote:
Consider the "somewhat mysterious" pressure emerging between and
PUSHING APART the plates of a constant-charge capacitor immersed in
water:

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-E...ry-Modern-Pers...
Introduction to Electromagnetic Theory: A Modern Perspective, Tai
Chow, p. 267: "Calculations of the forces between charged conductors
immersed in a liquid dielectric always show that the force is reduced
by the factor K. There is a tendency to think of this as representing
a reduction in the electrical forces between the charges on the
conductors, as though Coulomb's law for the interaction of two charges
should have the dielectric constant included in its denominator. This
is incorrect, however. The strictly electric forces between charges on
the conductors are not influenced by the presence of the dielectric
medium. The medium is polarized, however, and the interaction of the
electric field with the polarized medium results in an INCREASED FLUID
PRESSURE ON THE CONDUCTORS that reduces the net forces acting on
them."

http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Elec...econd-Physics/...
Classical Electricity and Magnetism: Second Edition (Dover Books on
Physics), Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky, Melba Phillips, p. 114: "This means
that if a system maintained at constant charge is totally surrounded
by a dielectric liquid all mechanical forces will drop in the ratio 1/
k. A factor 1/k is frequently included in the expression for Coulomb's
law to indicate this decrease in force. The physical significance of
this reduction of force, which is required by energy considerations,
is often somewhat mysterious. It is difficult to see on the basis of a
field theory why the interaction between two charges should be
dependent upon the nature or condition of the intervening material,
and therefore the inclusion of an extra factor 1/k in Coulomb's law
lacks a physical explanation." p.115: "Therefore the decrease in
force... cannot be explained by electrical forces alone." pp.115-116:
"Thus the decrease in force that is experienced between two charges
when they are immersed in a dielectric liquid can be understood only
by considering the effect of the pressure of the liquid on the charges
themselves. In accordance with the philosophy of the action-at-a-
distance theory, no change in the purely electrical interaction
between the charges takes place."

Common sense forces one to conclude that, if the mysterious pressure
pushes the plates apart, then it will constantly pump water through a
small hole punched in one of the plates. But the constant flow through
the hole can in principle be harnessed to do work and so the second
law of thermodynamics is violated. Could common sense be misleading in
this case?

Other manifestations of the mysterious pressu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1At3Gcd-No
Floating Water Bridge - Elmar Fuchs (SETI Talks)

A tentative explanation of the mysterious pressu

http://www.wbabin.net/valev/valev2.pdf
August 12, 2004, Pentcho Valev: Biased Thermal Motion and the Second
Law of Thermodynamics

Pentcho Valev



Idiot