Bill uses slow motion video to show the ingenious engineering design of the apparently simple tab of a pop can. To create a tab with the least amount of material it changes from a 2nd to a 1st class lever while opening the can.

Pop Can Stay-on tab: An ingenious engineering design

Bill Hammack's audio and video work emphasizes the creative role of engineers in designing and creating our world. He's a regular commentator on radio - based at Illinois Public Radio in Urbana he's appeared on public radio's premier business program Marketplace, and on Radio National Australia's Science Show. Many engineering, science, and journalistic groups have recognized his work.

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This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers.  This video (the fourth of four) shows how to operate the machine. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

(4/4) Operation: The details of setting up the Harmonic Analyzer

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This bonus video shows the motion of every rocker arm -- that is, every sinusoid.  The end of the video shows all the arms in motion together. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

Bonus: Rocker arms: sinusoids in two different directions

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers.  This videos shows the machine rotating and rotating -- including a breathtaking spiral up the machine at the end of the video. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

Bonus: Watch the machine spin around over and over...

his series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video is a page-by-page commentary to the series companion book. Learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

Page-by-Page Guide to the Free PDF of the Book Albert Michelson's Harmonic Analyzer

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier

► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/

► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy



► Main videos in the series:

(1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg

(2/4) Synthesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w

(4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4



► Bonus videos:

Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ

Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8

Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k

Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers.  This video (the third of four) shows how to use the machine to do Fourier analysis. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

Pop Can Stay-on tab: An ingenious engineering design

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