3/2/2026
Demonstration: strength of materials
- As crank is turned, tension is placed on the wire
- A load cell is placed below to measure the force of the pull on the crosshead, measuring the tension in the wire → Measuring force and displacement
- Device measures “stress and strain,” which is similar to force and displacement
- Stress is force per unit area
- Strain is how much material deforms fractionally compared to its original form
- 7.8 x 10^-4 in^2 is original measurement made with calipers
- Wire snaps at force of approximately 33 pounds → means 42300 pounds per square inch can be endured given calculations
- High strength steel can endure at much as 200,000 pounds per square inch
- When wire is plastically deforming, graph showing elasticity is no longer displaying a straight line → eventually reaches crest showing the maximum force of stretch that steel wire can endure
- This applied to suspension bridge cables and spokes of a wheel
- Wrought iron and other brittle materials snap rather than stretch
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
Chapter 22
Motorcycle references: odometer, Harley High-Miler, and starter button (no need to discuss these)
- Phaedrus has breakthrough about quality
- Talks about Poincare and how science changed: science was no longer exact, but became “approximate”
- Absolute substance arises as idea of matter and intimatter: can convert matter into energy and vice versa
- Absolute magnitude relates to uncertainty principle → again, showing how science is becoming approximate
- Einstein’s principle of equivalence shows that space is curved and light is curved
- Euclid and Reimann geometry creates discussion about what geometry is “right”
- Phaedrus claims that him and Poincare compliment each other in filling in gaps
- Claims Poincare selects science and interpretation matching his own idea of beauty
- Convenience of mathematical and scientific models makes sense given the application
- This ties together classical and romantic
Chapter 23
- Displays how narrator feels trapped inside body he has no control over, as if someone else is controlling him
- Feels 2 people living in the same body, with one of these people being taken away from his child
- Could suggest that the narrator has “gone too far” in his pursuit of Phaedrus
Chapter 24
- Explaining “stuckness” refers back to the narrator rather than referring to Phaedrus, suggesting that he is aware of his former closeness to Phaedrus
3/4/2026
Demonstration: spark tester
- Spark tester: one one end is spark plug, connected to in-line tester connected to cable
- If there is a proper spark, there should be an orange spark in in-line tester
- When 80 volts is hit when the apparatus is hooked up to power supply the tester should light up
- When 80 volts is hit, the light became orange
- When voltage is dropped any less, the light goes off
- Light contains neon gas discharge, needing from 60-80 volts to light
- When there is spark, current is able to flow through: one side of plug is at ground potential, the other is at high voltage
- Bud light sign turns on when connected to power source
- red/orange part is neon → each gas has a characteristic color
- At certain angles with a diffraction grading, can see spectrum of color → same emission derived from fireworks
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: chapter 24
Motorcycle terms: stuck screw analogy is used
- Demonstration: screw extractors serve to drill pilot hole into screw, then jaw extractor and take screw out
Content:
- Claims solution for people is caring and having connection to tasks → passion is imperative when completing a task
- Claims scientific method does not contain hypothesis, creating idea that baseline knowledge is necessary
- Gives advice to chris for writing letter to his mother: to optimize quality, he suggests for Chris to write down all of his thoughts at once, and organize later → illustrates his explanation of stuckness
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: chapter 25
Motorcycle terms: N/A
Content:
- Claims technology cannot be separated from art
- Starts discussing zen- ruminating combines classical and romantic by placing thought into both
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: chapter 26
Motorcycle terms: overhauling an engine means tuning up the entire machine
- Welders: there are different types of welders, used to merge materials via melting with high current and low voltage within an inner gas chamber containing rare gases (ie argon, neon, xenon, etc) to prevent rusting.
- A piece of metal has resistance; the amount of resistance increases reciprocally with cross-sectional area
Content:
- Chapter primarily discusses gumption traps – gumption traps are phenomena that get in the way of the drive to continue a task
- Internal and external gumption traps
- Internal is more emotional side of traps → called hang-ups, where someone is getting in their own way
- External are environment-dependent → called setbacks
- Monkey getting hand stuck in jar of rice scenario – can get more value through effort than giving up
- Greek concept “arite” relates to quality discussion