Fuligin?

Gerry Quinn · 16 Jul 2014, 23:16 · from 2014-July.txt.gz

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From: gerry at bindweed.com (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:16:57 +0100
Subject: (urth) Fuligin?
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On 16/07/2014 23:13, Marc Aramini wrote:
> Would temp change the balance though? If mercury expanded or contracted.

Not really, given that it has space to run around inside.  The thermal 
expansion would reduce the space available to it only slightly.

In practice, I don't believe there would be any real benefit to making a 
sword this way anyway.  It sounds good (moving mercury adding to the 
force of the downstroke) but this would really only work if the sword 
started almost horizontal - and if it did, it's hard to see how it would 
accelerate enough to behead someone.  But if the sword rises before it 
falls, the mercury has to be lifted too, so it makes no net addition to 
the force of the blow.  A solid sword, permanently weighted at the end, 
would work just as well and probably better.

- Gerry Quinn

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