Power factor

“ It is obvious that all that has been said respecting a variable weight or resistance, is also applicable to a variable power, which, therefore, may, by the same means, be made to produce a uniform effect. ”

“ Like the weights in an eight-day clock, or the water in a reservoir, they have a capacity for doing work, owing to [77] the position to which they have been raised. How vast the influence of a Primate or a Premier, a General or a King! And yet their power is chiefly potential energy, arising from the position they occupy, not from the individuals themselves. ”

“ When the power arm is longer than the load arm, the load is greater than the power; but when the power arm is shorter than the load arm, the power is greater than the load.
We may regard the strain on the balance as a power which supports the weight, just as we regard the weight to be a power producing the strain on the balance. We see, then, that for the lever of the first order to be efficient as a mechanical power it is necessary that the power arm be longer than the load arm. ”

“ But why set down a weight at one end of the lever because there is a power at the other? Why not wait until, in the natural course of things, lever comes to an obstacle, and then let power bear down with all its might to remove it? ”

“ This is the age of concentration or specialization of energy. The problem of the day is to get ten-horse power out of an engine that shall occupy the space of a one-horse power engine, and no more. Just so society demands a ten-man power out of one individual. ”

“ Power Not Created.—In taking up the study of this subject start with a correct understanding of the source of all power. It is inherent in all things. All we can do is to liberate it, or to put the various materials in such condition, that they will exert their forces for our uses. (See Page nine, "Energy Indestructible.") ”

“ Viewed mechanically, the energy of collective Becoming remains constant; regarded from the economical standpoint, it ascends to its zenith and then recedes therefrom in order to remain eternally rotatory. This "Will to Power" expresses itself in the interpretation in the manner in which the strength is used.—The conversion of energy into life; "life in its highest power" thenceforward appears as the goal. The same amount of energy, at different stages of development, means different things. ”

“ If, therefore, we desire to consider a proposition respecting the employment or evolution of power, let us carry our judgment, educated on this point, with us. If the proposal include the double use of a force with only one excitement, it implies a creation of power, and that cannot be. If we could by the fingers draw a heavy piece of wood or stone upward without effort, and then, letting it sink, could produce by its gravity an effort equal to its weight, that would be a creation of power, and cannot be. ”

“ It may hence be proved, that in the elevation of the weight a quantity of power is expended equal to that which would be necessary to elevate the weight if the power were immediately applied to it, without the intervention of any machine. ”

“ But we have to distinguish between the power, and what Paul calls 'the might of the power.' The one is final, constant, unchangeable. It does not necessarily follow that the other is. The rate of operation, so to speak, and the amount of energy actually brought into play may vary, though the force remains the same. ”

“ If we want to reduce poverty and misery, if we want to give to every deserving individual what is needed for a safe existence of an intelligent being, we want to provide more machinery, more power. Power is our mainstay, the primary source of our many-sided energies. ”

“ Our ordinary discoveries teach us that force can be multiplied by a multiplication of the elements or organs evolving force. The simplest child knows how to obtain two pounds instead of one by putting another weight in the scale; and the electrician obtains more power by adding another jar, or another plate, or another cell to his battery. In like manner Nature has in various directions seized every means to increase and concentrate what for convenience is termed vital force. ”

“ The appliances by means of which the energy made available by the prime mover is transmitted to the machine designed to utilise it. The term power is used to denote the rate at which energy is transmitted. The unit of power in common use is the horse power, and one horse power means a rate of transmission of 550 foot-pounds per second. ”

“ Fifth, how big must the important parts of the whole machine be to utilize all the energy available, or to produce the desired amount of power. Sixth, how much force must each part of the mechanism sustain, and how big must it be when made of suitable material so as not to break. Seventh, how much work can be produced by the process for each unit of energy supplied. ”

“ When a spark of static electricity jumps a long distance, we say that the charge has a high potential; that is, it has a high electrical pressure. Potential, for electricity, means the same as pressure, for water. The greater the potential, or electromotive force (E.M.F.) of a cell, the greater its power to push a current through wires. (See "Study," § 296 to 305, with experiments.) ”

“ I am aware that this view is not that of a practical engineer, but neither is it that of an illusionist, for it is certain, that power transmission, which at present is merely a stimulus to enterprise, will some day be a dire necessity. ”

“ If the moment of the power (184.) be greater than that of the weight, the effect of the power will prevail over that of the weight, and elevate it; but if, on the other hand, the moment of the power be less than that of the weight, the power will be insufficient to support the weight, and will allow it to fall. ”

“ Some new principle in the world's action, with possibly a secret and electric power, may reach him, enter his own mind, and set at large all his capacities, and make them felt; for that principle, whatever it is to be, will be electric, too, in the general mind. ”

“ It is practically important to consider the rate at which energy may be transformed into useful work, or the horse-power of the agent. It generally happens that to obtain the greatest possible amount of work from a given supply of energy, and to obtain it at the greatest rate, are conflicting interests. ”

“ This, then, is sufficient in the outset to give you an idea of the nature of the force which we call electricity. There is no end to the things from which you can evolve this power. When you go home, take a stick of sealing-wax—I have rather a large stick, but a smaller one will do—and make an indicator of this sort (fig. 35) . ”

“ In all these cases, it is evident that the object to be attained is, an effectual method of accumulating the energy of the power so as to make it available after the action by which it has been produced has ceased. ”

“ We shall have no need to transmit power in this way. We shall have no need to transmit power at all. Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by a power obtainable at any point of the universe. ”

“ In practice, however, it generally happens that economy of energy does not weigh much in the selection of a mechanical power for any purpose, as there are always other considerations of greater consequence. ”

“ It is proved by numerous facts, both natural and of artificial production, that agencies which had been regarded as distinct and independent sources of force—heat, electricity, chemical action, nervous and muscular action, momentum of moving bodies—are interchangeable, in definite and fixed quantities, with one another. It had long been known that these dissimilar phenomena had the power, under certain conditions, of producing one another: what is new in the theory is a more accurate estimation of what this production consists in. ”

“ Instead of latent force and great energy without control, instead of quiet gentleness, of power of control without vigor to be controlled, what we need is force and energy applied where necessary and always under control, always working to a definite purpose, and at the same time avoiding complications and unnecessary friction. ”

“ Not only, as is generally supposed, that the Power of the One is greater than any other Power,—but more than this, that there can be no other power, and that, therefore, each and every, any and all manifestations or forms of Power, Force or Energy must be a part of the great one Energy which emanates from the One. ”

“ The agent that appears to be the most suitable, and that gives promise of utility in other directions as well, is electricity. Distributed from a central source of supply, all the advantages of a safe and convenient power would be obtained, without any of the disadvantages attendant upon the use of other forms of energy. ”

“ The experiments upon levers may be varied at pleasure, increasing or diminishing the mechanical advantage, so as to balance the power and the resistance, to accustom the learners to calculate the relation between the power and the effect in different circumstances; always pointing out, that whatever excess there is in the power, [23] or in the resistance, is always compensated by the difference of space through which the inferiour passes. ”

“ But in each case, let it be repeated, precisely the same principles are involved, and the same simple law of the relations between positions of power, weight, and fulcrum are maintained. The practical result is always that a weight of indefinite size may be moved by a power indefinitely long. ”

“ Suppose, now, our flying-machine to weigh six hundred pounds, or twenty times as much, with the same ratio of wing or propelling surface to weight; we should then require simply twenty times more power, or about fifteen horse-power.
There are, I think, few engineers who will assert such a concentration of power impossible, even when the weight of the man, and fuel for a considerable space of time, are included. ”

“ The cases in which a force is apparently increased or diminished, as well as those in which it seems to disappear, are all found, on examination, to be illusive. For example, the apparent increase of a man's power by the use of a lever is really no increase at all. It is true that, by pressing upon the outer arm with his own weight, he can cause the much greater weight of the stone to rise ”

“ You look incredulous, but let me tell you now, as a first step toward the understanding of modern conditions, that power, with all its applications of light, heat, and energy, is to-day practically exhaustless and costless, and scarcely enters as an element into mechanical calculation. ”

“ Also I have learned that knowledge is even greater than power. I have also learned, too, however, that in order to increase my present knowledge—yes, even to protect that which I already have—I shall soon need a supply of energy a million times greater than the present peak output of all the generators of Earth. As a first step in my project I am taking control of Steel right now, and I am going to do things the way they should be done. ”

“ The attractive power of the former, between two bodies, is equal to the product of their masses; the repulsive power of the latter is equal to the product of the quantities of electricity bound to them, and that, as we have seen, is regulated by the respective mass of each body. ”

“ In cases where a small power is required to sustain or168 elevate a great weight, it will therefore be necessary either to remove the power to a great distance from the fulcrum, or to bring the weight very near it. ”

“ Power depends on good connections. In mechanics: the train with the locomotive; the machinery with the engine; the electrical mechanism with the power house. In the body: the arm with the socket; the brain with the heart. In the christian life the follower of Jesus with the Spirit of Jesus. We have been talking together about making connections, and I believe some of us have made the vital connection this hour, which means new inflow and outflow of power.
Now there will be time for only a brief word about breaking connections. ”

“ What happens is that certain quanta of power begin to operate, and their essence is to exercise their power over all other quanta of power. Can we assume the existence of a striving after power without a feeling of pleasure and pain, i.e. without the sensation of an increase or a decrease of power? Is mechanism only a language of signs for the concealed fact of a world of fighting and conquering quanta of will-power? All mechanical first-principles, matter, atoms, weight, pressure, and repulsion, are not facts in themselves, but interpretations arrived at with the help of psychical fictions. ”

“ Under light loads, the internal resistance, which is nearly constant in amount, may be a large percentage of the power transmitted, while under heavy loads the percentage of slip may become the principal loss. ”

“ Now let them unclasp themselves and take hold of a rope that is tied to a post, and all pull with the same force that they were using, to wit, ten pounds each, and all pull in the same direction, and they would put a strain of one hundred pounds upon the post, the same power that they were exerting upon themselves before they combined their efforts on something outside of themselves. ”

“ It is utterly beyond my ability to explain the manner in which these living beings encompass the manipulation and regulation of the master circuits of universe energy. To undertake to inform you further concerning the size and function of these gigantic and almost perfectly efficient power centers, would only add to your confusion and consternation. ”

“ The governor, and other methods of regulating the motion of machinery which have been just described, are adapted principally to cases in which the proportion of the resistance to the load is subject to certain fluctuations or gradual changes, or at least to cases in which the resistance is not at any time entirely withdrawn, nor the energy of the power actually suspended.236 Circumstances, however, frequently occur in which, while the power remains in full activity, the resistance is at intervals suddenly removed and as suddenly again returns. ”