GeekLimit

Running the time fountain in reverse

Posted by The Technocrat | Filed under Hardware

If you’ve ever had to adjust the timing on an engine, you should already know how the timing strobe works. Basically, you have an engine that is turning over 1000 times per minute, or at 1000 RPM. There is some writing on one of the pulleys of the engine, but when it is rotating at over 16 times per second, there is no way a human can read the writing.

The solution to this is to have a “timing gun”, which is basically a strobe light that is able to change it’s strobe frequency to match the engine. When you’ve got the strobe light flashing at the same rate as the pulley, (1000 flashes per minute) an interesting thing happens: time stops. No, this isn’t an invention by Professor Farnsworth of Futurama fame.

What is happening is that the strobe light is highighting the exact same part of the pulley, 1000 times per second, so all you see is the exact same part of the revolution, 1000 times per minute. For all your brain knows, the pulley is standing still. (Until you touch it, then you lose your fingers)

What does this have to do with anything?

This concept has been applied to a neat little gadget (via MAKE) that enables a person to “pause” reality and study the effects of falling water droplets. Best of all, it’s something you can do in your own home. I saw this a while ago, but just realized how cool it really is.

This may not sound incredibly exciting, but check out the video and you’ll be looking for the parts to build your own. I’d like to build one just for the sake of being able to measure the accelleration of gravity – with a ruler!

Comments (1) | August 24th, 2006

One Response to “Running the time fountain in reverse”

1. worker Says:
   May 11, 2010 at 6:09 am

   Thank you.It is grate This is coolmost of us can’t