Coulombe device test (pendulum type) Part 1

Forewords : The Coulombe device has been created by Maurice Coulombe, an inventor who claimed that his device violate part of Newtons laws. At least, according to him, the 3rd law is incomplete when it states that due to conservation of momentum, forces of action and reaction between interacting bodies are equal in magnitude, opposite in direction and colinear. This device has been built to prove otherwise. The Device: Two cart of equal mass are suspended from a common frame, perpendicular and head to head. One is equipped with a set of coil, the other with magnets. Force is applied between the carts by electrically pulsing the coils to repulse the magnets. According to the law, the masses being equal and the force applied to both cart at the same time, the two cart should spread apart at an equal distance before being brought back in place by gravity. The cart holding the magnets is slightly different that the coil one as it can allow the magnet to move inside the cart itself. Both cart are also equipped to support extra masses. The mechanism allowing this movement of the magnets and masses is what provide an imbalance of forces that M. Coulombe claim to violate the laws. The experiment: Basicaly, to prove M. Coulombe is right, all we have to do is make one move with all things fixed and one move with the moving mechanism unlocked. In fact, their is more to it than that. We have a set of variable that we can alter to find the top peformance of the device. Those are: Strenght of pulse Mass Strenght of magnets Strenght of elastic Some of those variable are unchangeable such as magnet and elastic strength. But mass can be altered along with pulses strength. For this first part of the test, we will use 3 sizes of mass, 0, 12 and 31 grams, and two strength of pulse, 5 and 10 volts. So, we end up with 3 masses by 2 pulses by lock and unlock for a total of 12 combinations. For stabilitys sake, well perform all test twice. The datas: Spreadsheet Results_130107 contains all data gathered during test and some compilation of those data.

Page one: those are the raw data as retrieve from the data acquisition system. It includes information such as maximun displacement of both cart, gain obtained, size of the pulse, mass used and status of locking mechanism. Page two: This page compare gain againts pulse to determine effect of pulse strength over gain for similar masses or locking. Page three: This page compare gain againts masses to determine effect of masses over gain for similar pulses or locking. Page four: This page compare gain againts locking to determine effect of locking the mechanism over gain for similar pulses or masses. The results: According to the raw data, the largest gain is obtained when the device is unlocked (as expected), the mass is high and the pulse is low. This prove that M. Coulombe was right, but, certain condition must be met. Looking at the graph of page two, and increase in pulse doesnt imply a larger gain, wich is proven above as the best peak was on low pulse. Graph of page three also told us that gain is linear only in low pulses and unlock state or high pulse and locked, whatever the masses. Graph of page four confirm that unlocking the device always provide a gain. As said above, increasing mass and pulses doesnt automatically involve a great gain, a certain balance has to be obtain. The search for the right balance will be in part 2 of this test.

Jean-Yves Metivier p.t.