The
air-bag problem
A wheel with a
number of air bags like bellows, fulcrumed on an inner ring and with a
weight on the movable cover. Each air bag is connected by a tube to the
opposite bag. The wheel is immersed in water, when the weights compress
the air bags at the left in the cut and extend the bags at the right
side assisted by the hanging weights, the air passing through the
connecting tubes. Thus, by the inflation of the bags on the right side,
the wheel is made to revolve in the water.
(Subsection 940, from
p.376)
From: Gardner D. Hiscox, M.E., Mechanical Appliances and Novelties of Construction (1927), Norman W. Henley Publ. Co.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
