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Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 2nd 03, 06:26 PM
Abhi
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Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

Now the following message is being sent to people related to
manufacturer in transport industry like Atlas, Hercules, Hero etc. The
world will never be the same again....

Dear Sir,

I am Abhijit Patil, 33 serving as an Assistant with LIC of India. I
have a Physics theory and based on this theory I believe, I have
invention, a basic device like wheel, which can revolutionize entire
transport industry on planet earth.

This invention is about keeping things stationary in air by a
mechanism so that these things do not fall on earth. This means, using
aerodynamics and propellants, we can build vehicles to go from one
place to another faster and cheaper which ordinary man can afford. For
the sake of simplicity, I am talking about almost every bicycle,
motorcycle, car, taxi, bus etc. on roads of planet earth up in the
air.

Please visit my homepage http://www.geocities.com/action_device and
please verify yourself or through your Engineers whether this
invention works or not. Please concentrate on FIG.2, which is at heart
of this invention and most simple, at the same time most difficult
part to understand in this invention.

You may contact me later at or


I am exploring possibilities at various places. Patent for this
invention is pending at Govt. of India, patent office, Mumbai branch
(application no. 754/MUM/2003 dated 31.07.2003) .

Thanks.

-Abhi.

Postal Address: Abhijit B Patil, C/o: LIC of India, At/Po/Tq: Shahada,
Dist: Nandurbar, Maharastra State, India. PIN: 425409 Tel No. (02565)
223794


F O R M 2
-------------
THE PATENTS ACT,1970 (39 of 1970)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
[ See section 10 ]

1. Title of the invention: Mechanism to generate unidirectional
force.

2. (a) Name: Patil Abhijit Brijalal
(b) Address: C/o: Life Insurance Corporation of India, Khetiya
Road, Near Ambaji Mandir, At/Po/Tq: Shahada, Dist: Nandurbar,
Maharastra State, India. PIN Code: 425409
(c) Nationality: Indian

3. Description of the invention.

The following specification describes the nature of the invention:-

FIELD OF INVENTION:

This invention relates to generating unidirectional force.

First and principle object of this invention is to generate
unidirectional force through a mechanism in which points from which
opposite reaction begins in two or more systems (defined below) are
connected to each other in such a way that opposite reactions in these
said systems, according to Newton's third law of motion, are halted
and only actions are allowed to take place in said systems. These
actions are used to generate unidirectional force in controlled way in
desired direction.

Second object of this invention is to provide a device for a body so
that this body can remain stationary (in inertial frame of observer on
planet) in space or air, just above surface of planet, under influence
of gravitational force of planet, with absolutely no contact of said
device and body with planet whatsoever. In other words this device
will not allow the body or the device itself to fall on planet even in
vacuum without using aerodynamics or propellant.

Third object of this invention is to provide unidirectional force
generating device to a vehicle so that this vehicle can move in space,
on or above surface of any planet, in air or gas, in and above surface
of water without having to carry and expel reaction mass to propel it
or applying aerodynamics.

Fourth object of this invention is to provide a mechanism to a moving
body or moving vehicle so that the velocity or direction of this
vehicle or body is changed in desired way.

Fifth object of this invention is to provide a unidirectional force
generator for wide ranging applications or products useful for
industrial and commercial purpose.


PRIOR ART:

Newton's third law of motion is stated as, "when two bodies interact,
the forces on the bodies from each other are always equal in magnitude
and opposite in direction". In other words, for every action, there is
equal and opposite reaction.

Whenever we see any body accelerating, said law is working behind the
motion of that body. Some matter must get pushed in backward
direction, if we want to accelerate some body in forward direction.
Due to this, rockets have to carry and expel reaction mass to
accelerate themselves in space. Mass of the fuel which rockets has to
carry as propellant, is one of the biggest problems in interstellar
space exploration.

Likewise on earth or any planet, if we want to keep some body at some
distance just above earth's surface, like that of stationary
helicopter in air, constant supply of energy and air is needed. Using
conventional means, it is not possible to keep some body stationary
just above earth's surface in vacuum. Any body just falls on earth or
any planet in absence of gas and propellant.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION:

This invention overcomes above-mentioned problems by generating
unidirectional force. Disclosed is a mechanism to accelerate a body in
desired direction in controlled way by applying unidirectional force.
This mechanism only needs potential energy to accelerate a body and
not reaction mass or aerodynamics, which is a used in conventional
vehicle.

In this mechanism three well established natural laws are used. Said
laws are,

(1) Newton's first law of motion: If no force acts on a body, then the
body's velocity can not change; that is, the body cannot accelerate.
(2) Newton's second law of motion: The net force on a body is equal to
the product of the body's mass and the acceleration of the body. If
two or more bodies are connected to each other and if forces of
different magnitude are acting on said bodies in different directions
in such a way that vector sum of forces is zero at point of
connectivity, then these bodies can not move in different directions.
(3) Newton's third law of motion: When two bodies interact, the forces
on the bodies from each other are always equal in magnitude and
opposite in direction.

In this disclosure, system is defined as a physical structure in which
two particles (bodies) moves towards each other or away from each
other due to stored elastic potential energy in between two particles
(bodies) in accordance with Newton's third law of motion. For example,
a stretched spring or stretched rubber band constitutes system because
every molecule in spring or rubber band is pulling other molecule with
force of equal magnitude but opposite in direction due to existing
spring force. So both ends of spring or rubber move towards each other
due to stored elastic potential energy in spring or rubber band.
Likewise if spring or rubber is compressed, both ends of spring/rubber
will move away from each other. Two magnets or electromagnets facing
each other also constitute system because they can push or pull each
other due to existing force of attraction or repulsion.

When two bodies A and B are accelerating towards each other or away
from each other and if said acceleration of these two bodies A and B
is due to existing restoring force or force of attraction or repulsion
in between these two bodies A and B, then in this case body A and B
constitute system in this disclosure. This existing force of
attraction or repulsion can be spring force, magnetic force or
gravitational force. And force of attraction or repulsion in said
bodies A and B can exist only due to stored elastic potential energy
in between these two bodies. Hence there must be existing source of
elastic potential energy in between two bodies A and B to constitute
as system in this disclosure.

Using above laws, following scientific principle has been devised and
disclosed.

When in two or more systems points, from which the opposite reaction
in said systems is supposed to start, are connected to each other in
such a way that these points are forced to travel in different
directions, then due to connectivity, the opposite reaction in said
systems is halted and only action takes place in these systems.
Applying laws of Geometry, these actions can be used to generate
unidirectional force in desired direction in controlled way to
accelerate mass, which may include mass of unidirectional force
generating device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a basic schematic view embodying present invention. FIG. 2
is a basic unidirectional force-generating device. FIG. 3 shows a
principle device to generate unidirectional force in controlled way.
Some reference numerals of FIG.1, FIG.2, FIG.3 are same. They shows
same parts in all three figures. Hence following description of
reference numerals is given for FIG. 3.

* Reference numeral 1 shows point A of left arm connected to lower end
of left spring 10 in such a way that there is joint at point A and
left arm 5 can rotate around this joint.
* Reference numeral 2 shows point B of left arm 5 connected to hollow
pipe in such a way that there is joint at point B and left arm 5 can
rotate freely around point B in 180 degree or more.
* Reference numeral 3 shows point C of right arm 6 connected to hollow
pipe in such a way that there is joint at point C and right arm 6 can
rotate freely around point C in 180 degree or more.
* Reference numeral 4 shows point D of right arm connected to lower
end of right spring 14 in such a way that there is joint at point D
and right arm 6 can rotate around this joint.
* Reference numeral 5 shows left arm and reference numeral 6 shows
right arm. These arms can be made of any non-rigid material like iron
or steel.
* Reference numeral 7 shows imaginary horizontal space line, which is
used for the sake of explanation of basic idea.
* Reference numeral 8 shows hollow pipe made of any non-rigid material
like iron or steel.
* Reference numeral 9 shows a platform attached to hollow pipe 8
resting on surface of earth.
* Reference numeral 10 shows left stretched spring in which elastic
potential energy is stored.
* Reference numeral 11 shows a connecting point E of upper ends of
left spring 10 and right spring 14. Angle AED is solid angle, which
does not change due to forces acting at point E.
* Reference numeral 12 shows a bolt passing through hollow pipe 8 and
attached to or supported by connecting point E 11.
* Reference numeral 13 shows a nut, which can be rotated, on bolt 12
in upward or downward direction.
* Reference numeral 14 shows right stretched spring in which elastic
potential energy is stored.
* Reference numeral 15 shows point A of left spring 10.
* Reference numeral 16 shows point D of right spring 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

Now turning to the drawings and first considering FIG.1. This figure
shows basic idea embodying the present invention. If some person is
standing on platform 9 and he wants to lift himself and whole
structure shown in FIG. 1 upward (without aerodynamics or propellant),
he need to push slightly point A 1 of left arm 5 and point D 4 of
right arm 6 along imaginary horizontal space line 7 towards hollow
pipe 8 i.e. center of this imaginary space line 7. If he could do so
by his hand or some mechanism (which has absolutely no contact with
earth whatsoever), point B 2 and point C 3 will be pushed in upward
direction. And with point B 2 and point C 3, hollow pipe 8, platform 9
attached to hollow pipe 8 and the person himself, will be lifted
upward. That means the person and whole structure shown in fig.1 will
be up in space stationary with absolutely no contact with earth
whatsoever.

Now turning to FIG. 2. In this figure two springs, of same stiffness,
are shown. Left spring 10 is connected to right spring 14 at point E
11 in such a way that both springs make some angle at point E 11. Now
the basic central idea goes as follows.

Point A 15 of left spring 10 is in your left hand and point D 16 of
right spring 14 is in your right hand. Connecting point E 11 is
pointing towards sky i.e. this structure is vertical. If you pull
point A 15 of left spring towards point A 1 of left arm 5 and if you
pull point D 16 of right spring 14 towards point D 4 of right arm 6 in
such a way that "angle AED does not change", then point E will remain
stationary in space. That means the spring force in both stretched
springs is directed only towards point E 11. Even though we are
pulling both springs towards earth, point E 11 does not move towards
point A 1 or point D 4 because this point E 11 can not move in two
different directions. Hence point E 11 just remains stationary in
space and does not move towards earth. The spring force at point A of
stretched left spring 10 and at point D of stretched right spring 14
is "unidirectional force". Due to this unidirectional force, any mass
connected to point A 1 of left spring 10 and point D 4 of right spring
14, will now move in only one direction i.e. towards point E 11. This
constitutes basic central idea of this invention.



Now turning to FIG. 3, basic structure shown in FIG. 1 is attached to
basic unidirectional force generating structure shown in FIG. 2. Point
A 1 of left arm 5 is attached to lower end of left spring 10 and point
D 4 of right arm 6 is attached to lower end of right spring 14 in such
a way that left arm 5 can rotate freely around point A 1 and right arm
6 can rotate freely around point D 4. Bolt 12 is connected to point E
11 and is passing through hollow pipe 8. The unidirectional force in
both springs 10 and 14 is acting on point A 1 of left arm 5 and point
D 4 of right arm 6. Due to this unidirectional force, point A 1 of
left arm 5 and point D 4 of right am 6 are pulled towards point E 11.
Due to this pull, force is exerted on point B 2, point C 3, hollow
pipe 8 and platform 9. The upward resultant force acting on point B 2
and point C 3 is controlled by nut 13.

The mass of platform 9 is greater than mass of basic unidirectional
force generating device shown in FIG.2 just to give stability to whole
device shown in FIG.3
in such a way that upper side of device does not tilt. The resultant
upward force due to spring force in springs 10 & 14 at point B 2 and
point C 3 is greater than total downward gravitational force acting on
whole device as shown in FIG.3.

When we rotate the nut very slowly so that this nut moves in upward
direction over bolt, the point B 2 and point C 3 also moves in upward
direction. And with point B 2 and point C 3, hollow pipe 8 and
platform 9 also moves in upward direction while point E 11 remains in
space where it was. This causes the whole device shown in FIG. 3 to be
stationary in space with no contact of whole device with earth or
planet whatsoever. If the device shown in FIG.3 is in space, we can
attach any desired mass to point B 2 and point C 3 so that it moves in
desired direction in controlled way. If the mass is moving, we can
change it's velocity or direction in desired way by applying
unidirectional force.

What is disclosed is best known method and principle mechanism to
carry out the invention. However, applying the same principle
mechanism, we can construct a device, which might look visibly
completely different from shown in FIG.3. For example,

* Upper ends of left spring 10 and right spring 14 can be connected by
horizontal rod instead of single point E 11. As long as opposite
reaction starting from upper ends of both springs 10 and 14 are
travelling in different directions, it does not matter whether upper
ends are connected by single point, horizontal rod or any body of any
shape.

* Instead of stretched springs 10 and 14, stretched or compressed
springs, shock-ups, rubber bands, zigzag metal rods, circular or
spiral shaped systems, magnets or electromagnets, devices working on
hydraulics or air pressure can be used.

* What is necessary is source of elastic potential energy or potential
energy in system, in which both ends of system are moving or made to
move towards each other or away from each other, in accordance with
Newton's third law of motion, due to stored elastic potential energy
or potential energy in system.

* In FIG.3, only two systems 10 and 14 are shown in two dimensions.
Instead of two systems, three or more systems can be arranged in three
dimensions forming cone like structure.

* The upper ends of every system can be connected to horizontal rod;
circular, triangular, square shaped rod, any suitable structure or
platform. Lower ends of every system can be connected to one end of
separate arms like left arm 5 and right arm 6. The other end of these
arms may be connected to hollow pipe at point B 2 and point C 3 in
three dimension.

* Point B 2 and point C 3 in FIG. 3 are supported by hollow pipe 8,
platform 9 and ultimately by earth or planet. But instead of hollow
pipe or platform, any structure which has mass, can be connected to
point B 2 and point C 3, which is ultimately resting on earth or
planet initially and which we want to move in desired direction by
applying unidirectional force.

* In FIG.3, angle AED can range from zero degree to 180 degree.
Stiffness, rigidity, masses and a length of springs 10, 14, or any
system, arms 5, 6 depends upon the application in which this device
may be used.

* In FIG.3, we have used stretched springs 10 and 14 as source of
elastic potential energy. But we can also use compressed springs as
source of elastic potential energy and by changing angle EAB and angle
EDC in accordance with trigonometry, we can move point B 2 and point C
3 in desired direction.

* In FIG.3, to give stability to both springs 10 and 14, we can pass
two straight rods through the center of both springs parallel to
length of springs. The rods can be passed in such a way that one end
of each rod is connected to each other at point E 11 and other end of
both rods are free at point A 1 and point D 4 respectively. Or these
springs can be inside pipe just to give stability to spring.

Disclosed is a scientific principle and mechanism to generate
unidirectional force. From this disclosure, it is clear that any
person skilled in art and engineering can think of different designs,
using different systems but applying disclosed scientific principle
and mechanism to generate unidirectional force without compromising
spirit and scope of this invention.

Dated this 30th day of July 2003

Signature of Applicant:
Name of Applicant: Patil Abhijit Brijalal
To,
The Controller of Patents,
The Patent Office, At - Mumbai.

-Abhi.
  #2  
Old August 2nd 03, 07:08 PM
RazroRog
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

Where's Uncle Al???


  #3  
Old August 2nd 03, 07:40 PM
David Robbins
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry


"RazroRog" wrote in message
...
Where's Uncle Al???


no need for uncle al, i recognize this device and its been around for many
many years already... its commonly called a skyhook. we used them when i
was in boyscouts for holding pots above the fire with no visable means of
support.



  #4  
Old August 2nd 03, 08:08 PM
Ian Stirling
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

In sci.physics Abhi wrote:
Now the following message is being sent to people related to
manufacturer in transport industry like Atlas, Hercules, Hero etc. The
world will never be the same again....

Dear Sir,

I am Abhijit Patil, 33 serving as an Assistant with LIC of India. I
have a Physics theory and based on this theory I believe, I have
invention, a basic device like wheel, which can revolutionize entire
transport industry on planet earth.


I'd suggest that you learn to draw force diagrams.
Either that, or create one of these devices, and leap off a cliff and
have it support you.

--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
My inner child can beat up your inner child. - Alex Greenbank
  #5  
Old August 3rd 03, 12:35 AM
pragmatist
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

"David Robbins" wrote in message ...
"RazroRog" wrote in message
...
Where's Uncle Al???


no need for uncle al, i recognize this device and its been around for many
many years already... its commonly called a skyhook. we used them when i
was in boyscouts for holding pots above the fire with no visable means of
support.


So how did the prototype perform Abhi?
Haven't built one yet?
Whyever not?
Pragmatist
  #6  
Old August 3rd 03, 01:16 AM
Sam Wormley
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

Abhi wrote:

Now the following message is being sent to people related to
manufacturer in transport industry like Atlas, Hercules, Hero etc. The
world will never be the same again....

Dear Sir,

I am Abhijit Patil, 33 serving as an Assistant with LIC of India. I
have a Physics theory and based on this theory I believe, I have
invention, a basic device like wheel, which can revolutionize entire
transport industry on planet earth.

This invention is about keeping things stationary in air by a
mechanism so that these things do not fall on earth. This means, using
aerodynamics and propellants, we can build vehicles to go from one
place to another faster and cheaper which ordinary man can afford. For
the sake of simplicity, I am talking about almost every bicycle,
motorcycle, car, taxi, bus etc. on roads of planet earth up in the
air.

Please visit my homepage http://www.geocities.com/action_device and
please verify yourself or through your Engineers whether this
invention works or not. Please concentrate on FIG.2, which is at heart
of this invention and most simple, at the same time most difficult
part to understand in this invention.



Keeping in mind that nature obeys the second law of thermodynamics (among
other things), what is the source of energy for your potential invention?

Second Law of Thermodynamics
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/phys...odynamics.html
  #7  
Old August 3rd 03, 02:15 AM
The Ghost In The Machine
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

In sci.physics, Abhi

wrote
on 2 Aug 2003 10:26:10 -0700
:
Now the following message is being sent to people related to
manufacturer in transport industry like Atlas, Hercules, Hero etc. The
world will never be the same again....

Dear Sir,

I am Abhijit Patil, 33 serving as an Assistant with LIC of India. I
have a Physics theory and based on this theory I believe, I have
invention, a basic device like wheel, which can revolutionize entire
transport industry on planet earth.

This invention is about keeping things stationary in air by a
mechanism so that these things do not fall on earth. This means, using
aerodynamics and propellants, we can build vehicles to go from one
place to another faster and cheaper which ordinary man can afford. For
the sake of simplicity, I am talking about almost every bicycle,
motorcycle, car, taxi, bus etc. on roads of planet earth up in the
air.


Time for a computation, methinks.

I have a car 1 kg in mass I want to keep up in the air
4.905 m above my head (the strange value will be explained
in a moment). Now, with no power source it simply falls to
the ground with an acceleration of 9.81 m/s/s in 1 second
once let go, doing 4.905 * 9.81 = 48.11805 J of mechanical work,
some of it to the car itself, some of it to the ground. If one
is lucky it will simply make an interesting noise.

In order to keep that thing in the air without something so
mundane as a pillar, post, or hook, one has to figure out
how to have something else take the fall. In this case,
the something else is air molecules.

That 48.11805 J of mechanical work is also expressible
as momentum; the car is moving at 9.81 m/s after that
first second. That's a momentum of 9.81 kg m/s. If
we want to keep it up some air has to be moved at a
sufficient velocity to match that momentum, in the opposite
direction -- every second.

Fans are commonly expressed as cubic feet per minute.
This annoying (to SI) measurement can be converted
to grams per second. Regrettably, the velocity is
rarely given but one can compute it based on the
usable area of the fan. 1 cubic meter of air is about
40 moles of air, or about 1.16 kg.

If we move 1 kg of air per second downward at a velocity
of 9.81 m/s, we have accomplished our task -- but at
what cost? The cost of accelerating that air, mostly --
and that energy is 48.11805 W (1/2 * 1 kg/s * (9.81)^2 m/s).

If we move 10 kg of air per second downward at .981 m/s
using a wider fan, we can reduce that power expenditure
to 4.811805 W. It behooves us to make the car as wide
and as flat as we can, although other effects might get
in the way, such as wind gusts from Earth's weather patterns.

I weigh about 100 kg. (Actually, I weigh more than that.)
It is far from clear that I can generate more than a
few hundred watts of power, although it's quite possible
for a good bicyclist to fly, as proven by the Gossamer
Albatross some years back. But he was far skinnier than I.

(Ideally, the air would be taken from the sides of the car,
not the top, and directed downward through 90 angle tubes.
The reasons for this should be fairly obvious; the moving
air will exert a downward pressure on the car. How much,
I'm not sure.)

A good D cell can generate 16500 mAh, or 59.4 kJ. After that
one either has to recharge it or replace it. I'll be lucky if
that can keep me up for a fifth of a second -- and its weight
is 134 grams. A cunningly-employed kg of gasoline would
generate 45 MJ and might keep me up there for a day, given a
big enough and light enough fan that can move 1 metric tonne
of air a second at 1 m/s or so.

[smush]

--
#191,
It's still legal to go .sigless.
  #8  
Old August 3rd 03, 03:54 AM
Sam Wormley
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

Abhi wrote:

Now the following message is being sent to people related to
manufacturer in transport industry like Atlas, Hercules, Hero etc. The
world will never be the same again....

Dear Sir,

I am Abhijit Patil, 33 serving as an Assistant with LIC of India. I
have a Physics theory and based on this theory I believe, I have
invention, a basic device like wheel, which can revolutionize entire
transport industry on planet earth.

This invention is about keeping things stationary in air by a
mechanism so that these things do not fall on earth. This means, using
aerodynamics and propellants, we can build vehicles to go from one
place to another faster and cheaper which ordinary man can afford. For
the sake of simplicity, I am talking about almost every bicycle,
motorcycle, car, taxi, bus etc. on roads of planet earth up in the
air.

Please visit my homepage http://www.geocities.com/action_device and
please verify yourself or through your Engineers whether this
invention works or not. Please concentrate on FIG.2, which is at heart
of this invention and most simple, at the same time most difficult
part to understand in this invention.



Ref: http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21b02001.htm
The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science


By ROBERT L. PARK

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is investing close to
a million dollars in an obscure Russian scientist's antigravity
machine, although it has failed every test and would violate the most
fundamental laws of nature. The Patent and Trademark Office recently
issued Patent 6,362,718 for a physically impossible motionless
electromagnetic generator, which is supposed to snatch free energy from
a vacuum. And major power companies have sunk tens of millions of
dollars into a scheme to produce energy by putting hydrogen atoms into
a state below their ground state, a feat equivalent to mounting an
expedition to explore the region south of the South Pole.

There is, alas, no scientific claim so preposterous that a scientist
cannot be found to vouch for it. And many such claims end up in a court
of law after they have cost some gullible person or corporation a lot
of money. How are juries to evaluate them?

Before 1993, court cases that hinged on the validity of scientific
claims were usually decided simply by which expert witness the jury
found more credible. Expert testimony often consisted of tortured
theoretical speculation with little or no supporting evidence. Jurors
were bamboozled by technical gibberish they could not hope to follow,
delivered by experts whose credentials they could not evaluate.

In 1993, however, with the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Daubert
v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. the situation began to change. The
case involved Bendectin, the only morning-sickness medication ever
approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It had been used by
millions of women, and more than 30 published studies had found no
evidence that it caused birth defects. Yet eight so-called experts were
willing to testify, in exchange for a fee from the Daubert family, that
Bendectin might indeed cause birth defects.

In ruling that such testimony was not credible because of lack of
supporting evidence, the court instructed federal judges to serve as
"gatekeepers," screening juries from testimony based on scientific
nonsense. Recognizing that judges are not scientists, the court invited
judges to experiment with ways to fulfill their gatekeeper
responsibility.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer encouraged trial judges to appoint
independent experts to help them. He noted that courts can turn to
scientific organizations, like the National Academy of Sciences and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, to identify
neutral experts who could preview questionable scientific testimony and
advise a judge on whether a jury should be exposed to it. Judges are
still concerned about meeting their responsibilities under the Daubert
decision, and a group of them asked me how to recognize questionable
scientific claims. What are the warning signs?

I have identified seven indicators that a scientific claim lies well
outside the bounds of rational scientific discourse. Of course, they
are only warning signs -- even a claim with several of the signs could
be legitimate.

1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media. The
integrity of science rests on the willingness of scientists to expose
new ideas and findings to the scrutiny of other scientists. Thus,
scientists expect their colleagues to reveal new findings to them
initially. An attempt to bypass peer review by taking a new result
directly to the media, and thence to the public, suggests that the work
is unlikely to stand up to close examination by other scientists.

One notorious example is the claim made in 1989 by two chemists from
the University of Utah, B. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann, that
they had discovered cold fusion -- a way to produce nuclear fusion
without expensive equipment. Scientists did not learn of the claim
until they read reports of a news conference. Moreover, the
announcement dealt largely with the economic potential of the discovery
and was devoid of the sort of details that might have enabled other
scientists to judge the strength of the claim or to repeat the
experiment. (Ian Wilmut's announcement that he had successfully cloned
a sheep was just as public as Pons and Fleischmann's claim, but in the
case of cloning, abundant scientific details allowed scientists to
judge the work's validity.)

Some scientific claims avoid even the scrutiny of reporters by
appearing in paid commercial advertisements. A health-food company
marketed a dietary supplement called Vitamin O in full-page newspaper
ads. Vitamin O turned out to be ordinary sal****er.

2. The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to
suppress his or her work. The idea is that the establishment will
presumably stop at nothing to suppress discoveries that might shift the
balance of wealth and power in society. Often, the discoverer describes
mainstream science as part of a larger conspiracy that includes
industry and government. Claims that the oil companies are frustrating
the invention of an automobile that runs on water, for instance, are a
sure sign that the idea of such a car is baloney. In the case of cold
fusion, Pons and Fleischmann blamed their cold reception on physicists
who were protecting their own research in hot fusion.

3. The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit of
detection. Alas, there is never a clear photograph of a flying saucer,
or the Loch Ness monster. All scientific measurements must contend with
some level of background noise or statistical fluctuation. But if the
signal-to-noise ratio cannot be improved, even in principle, the effect
is probably not real and the work is not science.

Thousands of published papers in para-psychology, for example, claim to
report verified instances of telepathy, psychokinesis, or precognition.
But those effects show up only in tortured analyses of statistics. The
researchers can find no way to boost the signal, which suggests that it
isn't really there.

4. Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal. If modern science has learned
anything in the past century, it is to distrust anecdotal evidence.
Because anecdotes have a very strong emotional impact, they serve to
keep superstitious beliefs alive in an age of science. The most
important discovery of modern medicine is not vaccines or antibiotics,
it is the randomized double-blind test, by means of which we know what
works and what doesn't. Contrary to the saying, "data" is not the
plural of "anecdote."

5. The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for
centuries. There is a persistent myth that hundreds or even thousands
of years ago, long before anyone knew that blood circulates throughout
the body, or that germs cause disease, our ancestors possessed
miraculous remedies that modern science cannot understand. Much of what
is termed "alternative medicine" is part of that myth.

Ancient folk wisdom, rediscovered or repackaged, is unlikely to match
the output of modern scientific laboratories.

6. The discoverer has worked in isolation. The image of a lone genius
who struggles in secrecy in an attic laboratory and ends up making a
revolutionary breakthrough is a staple of Hollywood's science-fiction
films, but it is hard to find examples in real life. Scientific
breakthroughs nowadays are almost always syntheses of the work of many
scientists.

7. The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain an
observation. A new law of nature, invoked to explain some extraordinary
result, must not conflict with what is already known. If we must change
existing laws of nature or propose new laws to account for an
observation, it is almost certainly wrong.

I began this list of warning signs to help federal judges detect
scientific nonsense. But as I finished the list, I realized that in our
increasingly technological society, spotting voodoo science is a skill
that every citizen should develop.

Robert L. Park is a professor of physics at the University of Maryland
at College Park and the director of public information for the American
Physical Society. He is the author of Voodoo Science: The Road From
Foolishness to Fraud (Oxford University Press, 2002).
  #9  
Old August 3rd 03, 07:30 AM
Edward Green
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Invention For Revolution In Transport Industry

(Abhi) wrote in message om...

Please visit my homepage
http://www.geocities.com/action_device and
please verify yourself or through your Engineers whether this
invention works or not.


I stand corrected. I thought you were proposing a real underpowered
flying machine. Now I see the most likely Bayesian prior is that you
are a fraud -- this is a mark of respect for the Indian technical
education system, since I am refusing to believe that as a trained
engineer _you_ really believe this.

You or your co-conspirators however have written a very professional
looking patent application: I have no doubt if your particular species
of fraud has not been perpetrated with the blessings of our countries'
respect patent offices that it will be now. Patent examination is
another one of the many methods available of beating the integrity out
of a man in response to economic stimulus: a perfect partner with the
law.

87.5% of all people can be formed into ethical cretins with the slow
but inexporable application of economic force. You fit right into
society, and should go far.
 




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