large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_4
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
What about the energy of motion? Helmholtz suggested that meteors might be falling into the sun at a steady rate. The energy of their collisions might then be converted into heat and light and this could keep the sun shining for as long as the supply of meteors held out—even millions of years. WHAT ABOUT THE ENERGY OF MOTION HELMHOLT SUGGESTED THAT METEORS MIGHT BE FALLING INTO THE SUN AT A STEADY RATE THE ENERGY OF THEIR COLLISIONS MIGHT THEN BE CONVERTED INTO HEAT AND LIGHT AND THIS COULD KEEP THE SUN SHINING FOR AS LONG AS THE SUPPLY OF METEORS HELD OUT EVEN MILLIONS OF YEARS
bound to ask where the sun’s energy came from. It had, to man’s best knowledge, been radiating heat and light, with no perceptible change, throughout the history of civilization and, from what biologists and geologists could deduce, for countless ages earlier. Where, then, did that energy come from? The sun gave the appearance of being a huge globe of fire. Could it actually be that—a large heap of burning fuel, turning chemical energy into heat and light? The sun’s mass was known and its rate of energy production was known. Suppose the sun’s mass were a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and it were burning at a rate sufficient to produce the energy at the rate it was giving it off. If that were so, all the hydrogen and oxygen in its mass would be consumed in 1500 years. No chemical reaction in the sun could account for its having given us heat and light since the days of the pyramids, let alone since the days of the dinosaurs. Was there some source of energy greater than chemical energy? ED HOWEVER HE WAS BOUND TO ASK WHERE THE SUN'S ENERGY CAME FROM IT HAD TO MAN'S BEST KNOWLEDGE BEEN RADIATING HEAT AND LIGHT WITH NO PERCEPTIBLE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION AND FROM WHAT BIOLOGISTS AND GEOLOGISTS COULD DEDUCE FOR COUNTLESS AGES EARLIER WHERE THEN DID THAT ENERGY COME FROM THE SUN GAVE APPEARANCE OF BEING A HUGE GLOBE OF FIRE COULD IT ACTUALLY BE THAT A LARGE HEAP OF BURNING FUEL TURNING CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO HEAT AND LIGHT THE SUN'S MASS WAS KNOWN AND ITS RATE OF ENERGY PRODUCTION WAS KNOWN SUPPOSE THE SUN'S MASS WERE A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN AND IT WERE BURNING AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TODUCE THE ENERGY AT THE RATE IT WAS GIVING IT OFF IF THAT WERE SO ALL THE HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN IN ITS MASS WOULD BE CONSUMED IN FIFTEEN HUNDRED YEARS NO CHEMICAL REACTION IN THE SUN COULD ACCOUNT FOR ITS HAVING GIVEN US HEAT AND LIGHT SINCE THE DAYS OF THE PYRAMIDS LET ALONE SINCE THE DAYS OF THE DINOSAURS WAS THERE SOME SOURCE OF ENERGY GREATER THAN CHEMICAL ENERGY
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