Re: Light makes right

[Robert Piwonka <t.piwonka@ttu.edu>]

JoshuaA.Conner@VerizonWireless.com wrote:
> I have often tried to stay away from some of the theory related discussions
> but I can not pass this up.  I would contend that a flywheel's only purpose
> is to even out the power pulses.  This would have the effect of a smoother
> idle, and possibly greater traction based on the firing order of the engine.
> The downside is IMHO horsepower consumed.  IIRC horsepower is loosely a
> measure of an engines rate of change ability(simply put, gain/lose rpm).
> Would that not be the intent behind an F1 car having virtually no flywheel?

and to put this is terms of physics it is simply an energy equation.
Total power of combustion = heat loss + angular velocity
+ linear velocity.  angular being rotational, this is where the flywheel 
stores energy and looking at the equation you can see that making that 
smaller makes your linear larger which makes your car more efficient. 
And for a more detailed explanation
 http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/flywheel.htm


Robert
This qualifies as my once a year post

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