Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-25
Mysteries of Nature and Science
What Becomes of the Energy Stored Up in Coied
Spring if the Spring is Suddenly Untempered
or Destroyed by Coroding Acid?

tial energy for capital, the product OF
work. But each produces the other. or
makes the others existence possible
take two cases for potential energy
for illustration. First. that OF a stone
which is lifted a certain distance above
the ground and suspended there by
cord. In lifting the stone kinetic energy
was expended against the force Of
gravity. and this has now changed into
potential energy. or energy of position.
Being separated from the earth. which
attracts 1t. there is a pull upon the stone
tending to bring 1t back TO the ground
This pull is balanced by the tension OF
the cord. If you cut the cord instantly
the potential energy begins to change
back again into kinetic energy, and the
stone drops, developing In the course OF
its fall as much kinetic energy as was
originally expended In lifting it.
But suppose that instead Of cutting the
cord and releasing the stone you, by
some means, suddenly destroy the stone
What becomes Of the store OF potential
energy? Clearly, since you cannot de-
stroy the substance OF the stone, but
can only destroy It as stone trans
forming It into dust. or smoke or gas
the apparently lost energy has simply
been divided up among the billions OF
microscopic particles that now represent
the stone. The total of the kinetic energy
developed by their descent to the earth.
no matter how long it may take. will be
equal to the amount of potential energy
that the stone contained
But let us take another instance. where
the disappearance OF energy seems more
mysterious. This is your own case of q
coiled spring. The kinetic energy ex-
pended in winding up the watch is stored
as potential energy in tho spring, Now
untemper. or destroy. the spring; what
becomes of the energy in this case? Can
the ghost of a coiled spring exert force?
If it is a scientific ghost it may. and in
this way: Consider that tho opposite
surfaces of the flat coiled spring are in
opposite states Of strain, the concave suf-
face being compressed and the convex
surface elongated. 1t is conceivable that
when the spring is Immersed in the acid
the two-fold strain to which its mole
cules are subjected may give rise TO cleo
trio currents. which pass away into the
ether. and the sum OF whose kinetic en-
ergy is equal to the potential energy that
the spring held. This, to be sure, is a
Hypothetical explanation. but II Is based
upon known physical principles II you
simply untemper the spring by the APP
plication of heat, all that you now destroy
is that state of the molecules which re-
suited from the strain, but here again II
is conceivable that the destroyed strain
may have been taken up by the ether in
some form of electric energy.
| In word. it must not be assumed that
| tbs only way the potential energy in the
coiled spring can be used Is In driving
the wheels of the watch. If the spring
or the state Of strain in the srring Is
destroyed the energy may reappear in the
form of neat or electricity, or some other
kind of working force not yet recognized
by our science. In its new form it may
pass away into the ether without being
detected Careful experiments in this
! field would possess absorbing interest