The Weight of Time Ian H

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Weight of Time Ian H Note The Weight of Time Ian H. Redmount, Department of Science and Mathematics, Parks College of Engineering and Aviation, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63156; and Richard H. Price, Department of Physics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 s physics teachers, we are impulse is equal to the always on the lookout for net change in momen- Aproblems that can illustrate tum of the system dur- the sometimes subtle implications of ing the time interval. physical laws, particularly problems We can apply this to the that can be concisely stated and easi- interval that starts just ly visualized. One such problem is before the sand begins remarkable for the way it illustrates to flow, and ends just several fundamental principles of after it stops flowing. At mechanics. It is a wonderful problem both these endpoints the for stimulating discussion, even system has no momen- among students who have had only tum, so the change in an introduction to mechanics. momentum—and thus Fig. 1. Three types of hourglasses for which calculations are Suppose we have an old-fashioned the impulse—are zero. done: (a) cylindrical “egg timer” type, (b) spherical vessel type, hourglass, like any of those pictured in This means that the and (c) conical hourglass. Fig. 1, and suppose that it has been sit- average force on the hourglass-and- tem is moving downward at constant ting inactive on a perfect and perfectly sand system is zero. There are only velocity, then there is no net force sensitive scale which reads exactly two forces acting on the system. One and the apparent weight (the scale “10 newtons” with the hourglass on it. is the downward force of gravity, reading) must be exactly 10 N. But if We now turn the hourglass over and which we know to be exactly 10 N the center of mass is accelerating instantly put it back on the scale. For downward. The other force is the downward (upward) the apparent the next hour, while the sand is run- force of support by the scale. This is weight will be less (greater) than 10 ning, we observe the “apparent also what the dial on the scale indi- N. weight,” that is, the scale reading. Do cates, and what we call the apparent That acceleration is remarkably we see a reading of exactly 10 N? weight. From impulse considerations easy to calculate, using some reason- More? Less? On the one hand, since a we can conclude that the average of able simplifying assumptions. At portion of the sand in the glass is in this apparent weight must be 10 N times not too close to the start of the free fall, it seems that the hourglass upward. If at some stage during the sand flow, or to its conclusion, the should weigh less. On the other hand, flow of the sand the scale registers flow may be approximated as a uni- the impact of the sand on the base of more than 10 N, then there must be form (in volume per unit time) emp- the hourglass should increase the another time when the reading is less tying of the upper vessel of the hour- downward force exerted on the scale. than 10 N, and such discrepancies glass and filling of the lower vessel. Which of these effects is greater? Is must average to zero. Since the sand is particulate, rather either of measurable significance, or than a Newtonian fluid, the flow rate are both imperceptibly small? Do any A Matter of Acceleration is assumed to be a constant V/T, other effects contribute? It turns out Another principle of mechanics where V is the total volume of sand that this problem admits fairly can give us more details about when and T the time interval measured by straightforward analyses. discrepancies from the average 10 N the glass. (The flow rate for a apparent weight occur. We know that Newtonian fluid, such as water, A Matter of Impulse the acceleration of the center of mass would vary with the pressure head Impulse is the product of a time of a system is equal to the net force provided by the fluid in the upper interval and the average force exerted on the system divided by the mass of vessel and would decrease with on a system during that interval. the system. If the center of mass of time.) If the geometry of the glass According to the laws of mechanics, the hourglass-plus-flowing-sand sys- and sand is parametrized as in Fig. 1, 432 THE PHYSICS TEACHER Vol. 36, Oct. 1998 The Weight of Time A conical hourglass, in which each with y1 the level of the sand above the duration of the flow, except at the base of the lower vessel, y the level very beginning. vessel has height b and base radius 2 ␲ 2 of the sand above the throat in the This upward acceleration of the R, has Al(yl) = [R(b – y1)/b] and ␲ 2 upper vessel, and b the height of the sand’s center of mass would engen- A2(y2) = (Ry2 /b) ; hence throat above the base of the lower der a shift in the apparent weight of ⌬ a = vessel, then the height of the center of the hourglass, W = msandacm. If cm 2 mass of the sand, ycm, above the base expressed in mass units, the scale V b 1 1 ᎏᎏ ᎏᎏ ᎏᎏ+ ᎏ (5c) of the lower vessel, is given by reading during the sand flow would 2 ␲ 2 ΄ 2 y2 ΅ ⌬ T R (b – y1) 2 be increased by M = msandacm/g, ycm = with g the familiar gravitational In the latter two cases the accelera- acceleration. At the very beginning of tion diverges as y2 approaches zero, y y 1 l 2 the flow, before the approximations i.e., as the sand runs out, and also at ᎏᎏ A (z)z dz + A (z)(b + z)dz ΂Ύ 1 Ύ 2 ΃ used here to calculate a are valid, the start of the flow (y near zero) in V 0 0 cm 1 the reading must be decreased some- the spherical case. Of course the (1) what, in order to give a time-aver- expressions will not be valid at these Here Al(z) is the cross-sectional area aged discrepancy of zero as required. times, but they do suggest that fairly of the lower vessel at height z above A quantitative estimate of changes large accelerations could occur for the base, and A2(z) is the area of the in the apparent weight at the very these geometries. upper vessel at height z above the beginning and end of the flow, when throat. The density of the sand is the first and last grains of sand are in A Matter of Gravity assumed to be uniform and constant flight, is more problematic. These There is yet another effect on the in time, and any “dimpling” of the changes depend sensitively on the weight of the hourglass. When the sand in either vessel is neglected. precise nature of the initial or final glass is inverted to start the flow, the This expression implies a velocity for flow and the geometry of the glass— sand is raised in Earth’s gravitational the sand’s center of mass of how many sand grains are in the air, field. It therefore weighs less. The how they strike the lower vessel, how corresponding shift in the scale read- dy the rest of the sand shifts, et cetera. ing, expressed in mass units, is ␷ = ᎏcᎏm = cm dt Seeking a simple illustration of 1 dy dy mechanics principles, we shall not GM m ᎏᎏ A (y )y ᎏᎏ1 +A (y )(b+y )ᎏᎏ2 ␦M = ᎏE sand x V ΂ 1 1 1 dt 2 2 2 dt ΃ consider these very transient effects g further here. (2) 1 1 ᎏᎏ – ᎏᎏ But A (y )dy /dt is just the rate of Examples for Idealized ΄ (+) 2 (–) 2 ΅ l 1 1 (RE + ycm ) (RE + ycm ) change of the volume of sand in the Hourglass Shapes ␦y –2m ᎏcᎏm (6) lower vessel, to wit, the constant flow Result (4) is easily evaluated for sand RE rate V/T. Likewise, A2(y2)dy2/dt is just simple, idealized hourglass shapes. A –V/T. Thus, the velocity (2) is simply glass with cylindrical vessels, an “egg 1 timer” as in Fig. la, has uniform cross- where G is Newton’s constant, ME ␷ ᎏᎏ cm = [yl – (b + y2)] (3) sectional areas: Al(yl) = A2(y2) = V/h, and RE the mass and radius of Earth, T (+) (–) where h is the total height, y1 + y2, of ycm and ycm highest and lowest posi- As expected, this is negative; the cen- sand in the glass. The acceleration of tions of the sand’s center of mass, and ␦ (+) (–) ter of mass descends. But since y1 the sand’s center of mass is then with ycm = ycm – ycm and g = 2 increases and y2 decreases as the sand 2h GME / RE. This is a very small flows, ␷ becomes less negative a = ᎏᎏ (5a) change, to be sure, but so is the accel- cm cm T2 with time—the center of mass under- eration effect. Which predominates? goes upward acceleration. Its acceler- An hourglass like that in Fig. lb, with ation is spherical vessels, each of radius b/2, Numerical Estimates 1 dy dy has cross-sectional areas Al(yl) = Some numerical evaluations are a = ᎏᎏ ᎏᎏ1 – ᎏᎏ2 ␲y (b – y ) and likewise for A (y ); illuminating. Taking as an example cm T ΂ dt dt ΃ 1 1 2 2 the corresponding acceleration is msand = 650 g, b = h = 10.
Recommended publications
  • Hourglass User and Installation Guide About This Manual
    HourGlass Usage and Installation Guide Version7Release1 GC27-4557-00 Note Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information under “Notices” on page 103. First Edition (December 2013) This edition applies to Version 7 Release 1 Mod 0 of IBM® HourGlass (program number 5655-U59) and to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions. Order publications through your IBM representative or the IBM branch office serving your locality. Publications are not stocked at the address given below. IBM welcomes your comments. For information on how to send comments, see “How to send your comments to IBM” on page vii. © Copyright IBM Corporation 1992, 2013. US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Contents About this manual ..........v Using the CICS Audit Trail Facility ......34 Organization ..............v Using HourGlass with IMS message regions . 34 Summary of amendments for Version 7.1 .....v HourGlass IOPCB Support ........34 Running the HourGlass IMS IVP ......35 How to send your comments to IBM . vii Using HourGlass with DB2 applications .....36 Using HourGlass with the STCK instruction . 36 If you have a technical problem .......vii Method 1 (re-assemble) .........37 Method 2 (patch load module) .......37 Chapter 1. Introduction ........1 Using the HourGlass Audit Trail Facility ....37 Setting the date and time values ........3 Understanding HourGlass precedence rules . 38 Introducing
    [Show full text]
  • “The Hourglass”
    Grand Lodge of Wisconsin – Masonic Study Series Volume 2, issue 5 November 2016 “The Hourglass” Lodge Presentation: The following short article is written with the intention to be read within an open Lodge, or in fellowship, to all the members in attendance. This article is appropriate to be presented to all Master Masons . Master Masons should be invited to attend the meeting where this is presented. Following this article is a list of discussion questions which should be presented following the presentation of the article. The Hourglass “Dost thou love life? Then squander not time, for that is the stuff that life is made of.” – Ben Franklin “The hourglass is an emblem of human life. Behold! How swiftly the sands run, and how rapidly our lives are drawing to a close.” The hourglass works on the same principle as the clepsydra, or “water clock”, which has been around since 1500 AD. There are the two vessels, and in the case of the clepsydra, there was a certain amount of water that flowed at a specific rate from the top to bottom. According to the Guiness book of records, the first hourglass, or sand clock, is said to have been invented by a French monk called Liutprand in the 8th century AD. Water clocks and pendulum clocks couldn’t be used on ships because they needed to be steady to work accurately. Sand clocks, or “hour glasses” could be suspended from a rope or string and would not be as affected by the moving ship. For this reason, “sand clocks” were in fairly high demand in the shipping industry back in the day.
    [Show full text]
  • The Quantum Hourglass
    The Quantum Hourglass Approaching time measurement with Quantum Information Theory Paul Erker Master Thesis, ETH Z¨urich September 30, 2014 Abstract In this thesis a general non-relativistic operational model for quan- tum clocks called quantum hourglass is devised. Taking results from the field of Quantum Information Theory the limitations of such time measurement devices are explored in different physical and information- theoretic scenarios. It will be shown for certain cases that the time resolution of the quantum hourglass is limited by its power consump- tion. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Renato Renner Dr. Yeong-Cherng Liang and Sandra Rankovi´c 1 Contents 1 The Past 3 2 The Context 6 2.1 Margolus-Levitin bound . 8 2.1.1 A generalized bound . 10 2.1.2 The adiabatic case . 12 2.2 Communication rate vs power consumption . 13 3 Quantum Hourglass 16 3.1 Time resolution . 19 3.2 The hourglass as a quantum computer . 20 3.2.1 CNOT hourglass . 21 3.2.2 SWAP hourglass - quantum logic clock . 23 3.2.3 Algorithmic hourglass - Mesoscopic implementation . 25 3.3 Thermal hourglass . 26 3.4 de Broglie hourglass . 33 3.5 Relativistic considerations . 36 4 Synchronization and Causality 39 5 The Future 43 6 Conclusion 49 7 Acknowledgements 50 8 References 51 2 1 The Past "Time is what the constant flow of bits of sand in an hourglass measures,"one says. Akimasa Miyake [1] Time enters Quantum Theory in manifold ways. Since the early days of quantum theory this led to heated discussions about its nature. In a letter Heisenberg wrote to Pauli in November 1925, he commented: Your problem of the time sequence plays, of course, a fundamen- tal role, and I had figured out for my own private use (Hausge- brauch) something about it.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hourglass
    Home Search Collections Journals About Contact us My IOPscience The hourglass This content has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to see the full text. 1993 Phys. Educ. 28 117 (http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/28/2/010) View the table of contents for this issue, or go to the journal homepage for more Download details: IP Address: 166.111.44.118 This content was downloaded on 26/11/2014 at 13:37 Please note that terms and conditions apply. The hourglass CAJames, TA Yates, M E R Walford and D F Gibbs The flow of sand within an hourglass (a conical out the offices of the king and the meditations of hopper In faa) has been Shrdled using coloured the devout. The hourglass was used for timing the sand as a tracer material and gel-fixing to reveal two- and the four-hour watches (the periods of the distributions. A video was made of the flow, duty) on board a ship at sea, which apparently it seen through a glass plate. did quite adequately despite the ship's motion. Sermons too, on spacious Sundays, were once timed by the glass: a particularly humane measure An hourglass, an extinct and charming timepiece, if visible to the congregation, as well as to the is shown in figure 1. It is a closed flask consisting vicar. A somewhat hectic application of the hour- of two pear-shaped glass bulbs joined tip to tip glass principle involved a miniature threeminute with a small interconnectinghole. Fine, dry sand is glass, used to time divisions in the House of Lords; sealed inside.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sundial Use the Sun 52
    H The sundial Use the Sun 52 time learning outcomes materials needed 55 minutes, To: • 12 large stones spread across • know that you can tell • scissors two days the time using a sundial • glue • tell the time using the Sun • a stick around • discover that long ago 150 centimetres long it was much more difficult • a large protractor to tell the time than it is • a marker pen today • a compass to tell where North is end product • optional: • a small sundial indoors extra small stones • a large sundial outdoors Preparation For the activity The large sundial you will need a playing field that is in sunlight most of the day. What time is it? 5 min. Ask if any of the children is wearing a watch. Why is it handy to have a watch? Explain that 600 years ago nobody had a watch. Ask how the people back then Tip. Long ago people knew what time it was. Before the mechanical clock was invented, people some- also used other times used the sun to tell the time. They did this using a sundial. devices to tell the time, such Have any children ever seen a sundial? Do they know how it works? Explain that as the hourglass. a sundial has a stick or pointer that makes a shadow. This is called the gno- Lesson 50 shows mon. It is important that in the Northern hemisphere the gnomon always points how to make an North, or you will not be able to read the sundial. Explain that the Earth turns hourglass and use on its axis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hourglass Model Revisited
    Department: Affective Computing and Sentiment Analysis Editor: Erik Cambria, Nanyang Technological University The Hourglass Model Revisited Yosephine Susanto Bee Chin Ng Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University Andrew G. Livingstone Erik Cambria University of Exeter Nanyang Technological University Abstract—Recent developments in the field of AI have fostered multidisciplinary research in various disciplines, including computer science, linguistics, and psychology. Intelligence, in fact, is much more than just IQ: it comprises many other kinds of intelligence, including physical intelligence, cultural intelligence, linguistic intelligence, and emotional intelligence (EQ).Whiletraditionalclassificationtasksand standard phenomena in computer science are easy to define, however, emotions are still a rather mysterious subject of study. That is why so many different emotion classifications have been proposed in theliteratureandthereisstillnocommon agreement on a universal emotion categorization model. In this article, we revisit the Hourglass of Emotions, an emotion categorization model optimized for polarity detection, based on some recent empirical evidence in the context of sentiment analysis. This new model does not claim to offer the ultimate emotion categorization but it proves the most effective for the task of sentiment analysis. & IN 1872, CHARLES Darwin was one of the first always been a big challenge for the research scientists to argue that all humans, and even ani- community.2;3 To date, in fact, there are still mals, show emotions through remarkably simi- active debates on whether some basic emotions, lar behaviors.1 Since then, there has been broad e.g., surprise,4 should be defined as emotions at consensus on how and why emotions have all. In this work, we do not aim to initiate any new evolved in most creatures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Dynamics of Granular Flow in an Hourglass
    Original papers Granular Matter 3, 151–164 c Springer-Verlag 2001 ! The dynamics of granular flow in an hourglass Christian T. Veje, P. Dimon Abstract We present experimental investigations of flow [2–5]. Traditionally, an hourglass consists of two glass am- in an hourglass with a slowly narrowing elongated stem. poules, partly filled with grains, connected by a small hole The primary concern is the interaction between grains in the stem. Typically, ballotini (small glass beads), sand, and air. For large grains the flow is steady. For smaller marble powder, and even crushed egg shells have been grains we find a relaxation oscillation (ticking) due to the used as the granular material [1]. Recently, the hourglass counterflow of air, as previously reported by Wu et al. has become a source of interest to the physics communi- [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 1363 (1993)]. In addition, we find ty as a convenient simple system to investigate granular that the air/grain interface in the stem is either stationary flows [1,6–10]. or propagating depending on the average grain diameter. The flow of granular materials has been found to ex- In particular, a propagating interface results in power-law hibit a wide range of different phenomena. In particular, relaxation, as opposed to exponential relaxation for a sta- density waves and shock waves are common in dry granu- tionary interface. We present a simple model to explain lar flows. Density patterns due to rupture zones as grains this effect. We also investigate the long-time properties of flow through hoppers have been observed using X-ray the relaxation flow and find, contrary to expectations, that imaging [11–13].
    [Show full text]
  • Lunar Distances Final
    A (NOT SO) BRIEF HISTORY OF LUNAR DISTANCES: LUNAR LONGITUDE DETERMINATION AT SEA BEFORE THE CHRONOMETER Richard de Grijs Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia Email: [email protected] Abstract: Longitude determination at sea gained increasing commercial importance in the late Middle Ages, spawned by a commensurate increase in long-distance merchant shipping activity. Prior to the successful development of an accurate marine timepiece in the late-eighteenth century, marine navigators relied predominantly on the Moon for their time and longitude determinations. Lunar eclipses had been used for relative position determinations since Antiquity, but their rare occurrences precludes their routine use as reliable way markers. Measuring lunar distances, using the projected positions on the sky of the Moon and bright reference objects—the Sun or one or more bright stars—became the method of choice. It gained in profile and importance through the British Board of Longitude’s endorsement in 1765 of the establishment of a Nautical Almanac. Numerous ‘projectors’ jumped onto the bandwagon, leading to a proliferation of lunar ephemeris tables. Chronometers became both more affordable and more commonplace by the mid-nineteenth century, signaling the beginning of the end for the lunar distance method as a means to determine one’s longitude at sea. Keywords: lunar eclipses, lunar distance method, longitude determination, almanacs, ephemeris tables 1 THE MOON AS A RELIABLE GUIDE FOR NAVIGATION As European nations increasingly ventured beyond their home waters from the late Middle Ages onwards, developing the means to determine one’s position at sea, out of view of familiar shorelines, became an increasingly pressing problem.
    [Show full text]
  • Hourglass User and Installation Guide About This Manual
    HourGlass Usage and Installation Guide Version 6 Release 1 SC23-8561-01 Note! Before using this information and the product it supports, be sure to read the general information under “Notices” on page 97. Third Edition (May 2012) This edition applies to Version 6 Release 1 Mod 0 of IBM® HourGlass (program number 5655-U42) and to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions. Order publications through your IBM representative or the IBM branch office serving your locality. Publications are not stocked at the address given below. IBM welcomes your comments. For information on how to send comments, see “How to send your comments to IBM” on page vii. © Copyright IBM Corporation 1992, 2012. US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp. Contents About this manual ..........v Using the CICS Settings Control Facility ....30 Organization ..............v Using the CICS Audit Trail Facility ......31 Summary of amendments for Version 6.1 Usage and Using HourGlass with IMS message regions . 31 Installation Guide refresh ..........v HourGlass IOPCB Support ........31 Summary of amendments for Version 6.1 ....vi || Running the HourGlass IMS IVP ......31 Using HourGlass with DB2 applications .....32 How to send your comments to IBM . vii Using HourGlass with the STCK instruction . 33 Method 1 (re-assemble) .........33 If you have a technical problem .......vii Method 2 (patch load module) .......33 Using the HourGlass Audit Trail Facility ....34 Chapter 1. Introduction ........1 Understanding HourGlass precedence rules . 35 Setting the date and time values ........2 || Introducing the HourGlass Repository ......3 Chapter 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Inside the Orion Nebula
    AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS DEEP-SKY OBSERVING find the Orion Nebula (M42) irresistible. It’s large, bright, On a brisk winter night, the Orion Nebula beckons astronomers and detailed. Las Vegas astro- and observers alike. ⁄⁄⁄ BY RAYMOND SHUBINSKI photographer George Gre- aney shot it with his 6-inch Astro-Physics EDF apochro- matic refractor at f/7. This image is a digital composite of two 45-minute exposures on hypered 120-format View the sky’s Kodak PPF Pro 400 film. greatest nebula is composed of hundreds of billions of stars The Orion Nebula (M42) is so named and massive amounts of gas and dust. Our because it lies within Orion the Hunter, a constellation that solar system resides in the Perseus arm, dominates the winter sky. To find the nebula, look below about two-thirds of the way out from the galactic center. Orion’s belt where his sword hangs. Your eyes alone will see Our earthbound view is rather different. the center star as fuzzy. Binoculars help, but also reveal more On a clear summer night in the Northern Hemisphere, the glow of the Milky Way fuzz. Look through a telescope, however, Stellar neighborhood stretches from Cassiopeia in the northeast and you’ll never forget it. For here lies one The Orion Nebula’s position in our galaxy to Scorpius in the south. From this vantage of the showpiece celestial objects — a stel- is well known. If we could view the Milky point, we’re looking along the galaxy’s rim. lar nursery that, after being observed for Way from above, it would appear as a vast Toward Scorpius is the central part of the hundreds of years, still has a lot to reveal.
    [Show full text]
  • Clock Hour: Time to Learn
    Clock Hour: Time to Learn Seconds : Minutes : Hours Origin of Time The mathematician and astronomer Theodosius of Bithynia (ca. 160 BCE- ca. 100 BCE ) is said to have invented a universal sundial that could be used anywhere on Earth. The Romans adopted the Greek sundials, and the first record of a sun-dial in Rome is 293 BC according to Pliny. Origin of Time An hourglass keeping track of elapsed time. The hourglass was one of the earlier timekeeping devices and has become a symbol of the concept of time Origin of Time The first mechanical clock was made in 723 A.D. by a monk and mathematician I-Hsing. It was an astronomical clock and he called it the "Water Driven Spherical Birds-Eye-View Map of The Heavens." Origin of Time A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator; it swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on its length, and resists swinging at other rates. From its invention in 1656 by Christiaan Huygens until the 1930s, the pendulum clock was the world's most precise timekeeper, accounting for its widespread use. Time is Money!!! What is Controlled by Time? What is Controlled by Time? What is Controlled by Time? And of Course……… Education!! Carnegie Unit (Clockhours) • If you earned a high school diploma, or a certificate from a technical school, or any degree from any college or university in the United States, you served your time.
    [Show full text]
  • Pressure and Motion of Dry Sand – Translation of Hagen's Paper From
    Granular Matter manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor) Brian P. Tighe · Matthias Sperl Pressure and Motion of Dry Sand – Translation of Hagen’s Paper from 1852 August 24, 2018 Abstract In a remarkable paper from 1852, Gotthilf Hein- particle diameter, which is consistent with more recent mea- rich Ludwig Hagen measured and explained two fundamen- surements. tal aspects of granular matter: The first effect is the satura- Hagen’s work lays out the basis of the so-called hour- tion of pressure with depth in a static granular system con- glass theory where the flow of granular material is found to fined by silo walls – generally known as the Janssen effect. be independent of the filling height in the container, thus al- The second part of his paper describes the dynamics ob- lowing the measure of time with an hourglass [7, sec 10.4]. served during the flow out of the container – today often Later work both confirms and extends Hagen’s early analy- called the Beverloo law – and forms the foundation of the sis [9]. More recently, a lot of work has been devoted to un- hourglass theory. The following is a translation of the origi- derstanding the fundamental differences between fluid and nal German paper from 1852. granular flows [10]. While on the level of the individual grains the probability of arching at the opening is a matter of current investigations [11], Hagen provides a successful route to a continuum description of the flow by the rescaling 1 Introduction of the diameter of the opening. Gotthilf Heinrich Ludwig Hagen is most renowned for his contributions to the study on laminar flow in pipes; his mea- 2 Gotthilf Heinrich Ludwig Hagen, Pressure and Motion surements published in 1839 studied what is now well-known of Dry Sand, 19th January 1852 as the (Hagen-)Poiseuille law [1, 2].
    [Show full text]