[AT] OT: Acceleration defined

[George Willer]

If I told you once, I've told you a million times... don't be hyperbolous!

George Willer

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <HaliganBar at aol.com>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 10:33 PM
Subject: [AT] OT: Acceleration defined


> This is the best definition I've ever seen!
>
> A Definition of Acceleration.
>
>  * One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine
> makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of
>  NASCARS at the Daytona 500.
>
> * Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes
> 1-1/2 gallons of nitromethane per second; a fully
> loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with
> 25% less energy being produced.
>
> * A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce
> enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.
>
> * With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the
> supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is
> compressed into a near-solid form before ignition.
> Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at
> full throttle.
>
>
> * At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry:
> methodology and technology by which
> quantities of reactants and products in
> chemical reactions are determined)
> 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitromethane,
> the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F.
>
> * Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white
> flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning
> hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor
> by the searing exhaust gases.
>
> * Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug.
> This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
>
> * Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed
> during a pass. After halfway, the engine is
> dieseling from compression, plus the glow of
> exhaust valves at 1,400 degrees F. The engine can
> only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
>
> * If spark momentarily fails early in the run,
> unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders
> and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder
> heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
>
> * In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters
> must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to
> reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch
> acceleration approaches 8G's.
>
> * Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before
> you have completed reading this sentence.
>
> * Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions
> from light to light!
>
> * Including the burnout, the engine must only survive
> 900 revolutions under load.
>
> * The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.
>
> * Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked
> for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
> estimated $1,000.00 per second.
>
> * The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is
> 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher).
> The top speed record is 333.00 mph.
> (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run
> (09/28/03 Doug Kalitta).
>
>  -------------------------------------- 
> Putting all of this into perspective:
> -------------------------------------- 
>
> You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter
> "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel
> dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you
pass.
> You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up
> through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the
> dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at
> that moment.
>
> The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your
> foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears
> your eardrums and within 4.5 seconds, the dragster catches and passes
> you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you
> just passed him.
>
> Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had
> spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the
> road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.
>
> ... and that my friend, is ACCELERATION!
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