Engineers for Severus

I've been thinking of a Magic/Muggle Merger opportunity

specifically, I've been thinking about the Portkey. It's inconvenient, dangerous to use, and hard to endure travel with the examples Rowling gave us. Wouldn't it make more sense if a wizard turned an automobile into a portkey, entered the vehicle and activated it? Instant transport without fuel, protected from weather, cushioned landing on tires, seat belts, etc. Much less conspicuous, if landing is in a garage or vacant parking lot or lane, plus the option of continuing with inconspicuous Muggle means. 

It is amusing to consider that the Laws of Thermodynamics are a direct result of the search for the perpetual motion machine.

Perpetual Motion Machines: Working Against Physical Laws

https://www.livescience.com/55944-perpetual-motion-machines.html

Almost as soon as humans created machines, they attempted to make "perpetual motion machines" that work on their own and that work forever. However, the devices never have and likely never will work as their inventors hoped.

"In short, perpetual motion is impossible because of what we know about the geometry of the universe," said Donald Simanek, a former physics professor at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and creator of The Museum of Unworkable Devices. "Nature provides no examples of perpetual motion above the atomic level."

Laws of thermodynamics

To the best of our knowledge, perpetual motion machines would violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics, Simanek told Live Science. Simply put, the First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. A perpetual motion machine would have to produce work without energy input. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that that an isolated system will move toward a state of disorder. Additionally, the more energy is transformed, the more of it is wasted. A perpetual motion machine would have to have energy that was never wasted and never moved toward a disordered state.

Still, the inviolability of the laws of physics has not stopped the curious from ignoring them or trying to break them. According to Simanek's online museum, the first documented perpetual motion machines included a wheel created by Indian author Bhaskara in the 12th century. It supposedly kept spinning due to an imbalance created by containers of mercury around its rim. Other attempts include a 16th-century windmill, 17th-century siphons, and several water mills...

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Note the emboldened weasel words above:

"Nature provides no examples of perpetual motion above the atomic level."

If a wizard's will and focus are sufficient to act upon the atomic level, even if the existence of atoms are not part of magical theory, then magic ought to be able to create and sustain perpetual motion.

Examples of this: heating and cooling charms are moving energy around without any additional force, save the force of the will of the wielder.

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""For example, the laws of thermodynamics do not arise by fiat. They are derivable from Newton's laws and the kinetic model of gases and have been well-tested experimentally … You can't simply discard one law you 'don't like' without bringing the whole logical structure of physics crashing down."

Simanek noted that most perpetual motion machine inventors do not believe their machines violate the laws of physics. "Some suppose that certain specific laws do not apply, usually conservation of energy and the laws of thermodynamics."

"Could there be some place where the geometry (and the physics) are different?" Simanek said. "Maybe, but we have no clue where to find that place, and one might wonder whether we could even go there, or exploit it for our purposes … That's armchair speculation, and science-fiction, not science."

If a perpetual motion machine did work, it would need to have certain traits. It would be "frictionless and perfectly silent in operation. It would give off no heat due to its operation, and would not emit any radiation of any kind, for that would be a loss of energy," said Simanek. Even so, such a machine would not run forever because "due to its rotation, its parts would be continually accelerating, and we know that matter is made up of charged particles, and accelerating charges radiate away energy." This would cause changes to the machine, making it eventually slow or stop.

Still, "if a machine could spin a wheel at constant speed for a very long time, with no measurable diminution of speed, and with absolutely no input energy, we could consider it, for all practical purposes, to be perpetual motion … But it would be only a useless curiosity, for if we tried to extract work from it, it would soon slow to a stop," Simanek said.

Most inventors of perpetual motion machines have a different goal in mind. "They want 'over-unity' performance — a machine that puts out more useful work than its energy input," said Simanek. Then, you would have energy left over for use.

Other than swindling the public, this might have been Redheffer's ultimate goal. Even after the hoax was revealed, Philadelphia newspapers speculated that the city had missed its chance to operate water pumps for free, according to The Engines of Our Ingenuity. And Redheffer's 1820 patent was for "machinery for the purpose of gaining power," according to the Visual Education Project. But those were wishes rather than realities. "

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion

...machines that extract energy from finite sources will not operate indefinitely, because they are driven by the energy stored in the source, which will eventually be exhausted. A common example is devices powered by ocean currents, whose energy is ultimately derived from the Sun, which itself will eventually burn out. Machines powered by more obscure sources have been proposed, but are subject to the same inescapable laws, and will eventually wind down.

In 2017, new states of matter, time crystals, were discovered in which on a microscopic scale the component atoms are in continual repetitive motion, thus satisfying the literal definition of "perpetual motion". However, these do not constitute perpetual motion machines in the traditional sense or violate thermodynamic laws because they are in their quantum ground state, so no energy can be extracted from them; they have "motion without energy".

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So a warming or cooling charm would work by changing the direction of motion of molecules, the "hot" ones toward the item to be warmed, away from the item to be cooled. The "work" would be the will of the wand-wielder, the generation of which would require some constant application of will via magic.

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The history of perpetual motion machines dates back to the Middle Ages. For millennia, it was not clear whether perpetual motion devices were possible or not, but the development of modern theories of thermodynamics has shown that they are impossible...

Oh ye seekers after perpetual motion, how many vain chimeras have you pursued? Go and take your place with the alchemists.

— Leonardo da Vinci, 1494

There is a scientific consensus that perpetual motion in an isolated system violates either the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics, or both. The first law of thermodynamics is a version of the law of conservation of energy. The second law can be phrased in several different ways, the most intuitive of which is that heat flows spontaneously from hotter to colder places; relevant here is that the law observes that in every macroscopic process, there is friction or something close to it; another statement is that no heat engine (an engine which produces work while moving heat from a high temperature to a low temperature) can be more efficient than a Carnot heat engine operating between the same two temperatures.

In other words:

1. In any isolated system, one cannot create new energy (law of conservation of energy). As a result, the thermal efficiency—the produced work power divided by the input heating power—cannot be greater than one.

2. The output work power of heat engines is always smaller than the input heating power. The rest of the heat energy supplied is wasted as heat to the ambient surroundings. The thermal efficiency therefore has a maximum, given by the Carnot efficiency, which is always less than one.

3. The efficiency of real heat engines is even lower than the Carnot efficiency due to irreversibility arising from the speed of processes, including friction.

Statements 2 and 3 apply to heat engines. Other types of engines which convert e.g. mechanical into electromagnetic energy, cannot operate with 100% efficiency, because it is impossible to design any system that is free of energy dissipation.

Machines which comply with both laws of thermodynamics by accessing energy from unconventional sources are sometimes referred to as perpetual motion machines, although they do not meet the standard criteria for the name. By way of example, clocks and other low-power machines, such as Cox's timepiece, have been designed to run on the differences in barometric pressure or temperature between night and day. These machines have a source of energy, albeit one which is not readily apparent, so that they only seem to violate the laws of thermodynamics.

Even machines which extract energy from long-lived sources - such as ocean currents - will run down when their energy sources inevitably do. They are not perpetual motion machines because they are consuming energy from an external source and are not isolated systems...

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based on these arguments, I posit that "perpetual motion" is just as impossible in magical systems as it is in physical ones, where the input of will replaces the input of energy into the closed system.

 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.classes27jan27,0,1572009.story

Off courses

College professors are trying to lure students with elective classes filled with all manner of pop culture references and unconventional materials

By Abigail Tucker

Sun reporter

January 27, 2008

Check out this presentation at Phoenix Rising. It seems to be right up this group's alley...

Comparing the Magical and Muggle Communications Networks: Using Muggle Engineering as the Basis for “Magiceering” Wizarding Technologies in Fanfic
Carrie Harris (Droxy)

Muggle communications technology can be explained in non-technical terms and compared to Harry Potter magic. Reverse engineering/deconstruction methods are employed on the Floo, magic mirrors, and magical photos, building the foundation for writers to create and expand functional magic based on Muggle technologies such as the internet, television, radio, and telephony-computer integration. This presentation explores how to magically solve modern networking issues such as security, congestion, and integration, as well as explores differences between Muggle and magical world cultural acceptance of new magic and technology. Learn to enhance your fan creations by deconstructing technology and “magiceering” to create your own enchanted communication products and infrastructure.

Tech·nol·o·gy pl. tech·nol·o·gies NOUN:

The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives.

The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective.

Electronic or digital products and systems considered as a group: a store specializing in office technology.

Anthropology: The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Greek tekhnologi, systematic treatment of an art or craft : tekhn, skill; see teks- in Indo-European roots + -logi, -logy




sci·ence NOUN:


The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.

Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena.

Such activities applied to an object of inquiry or study.

Methodological activity, discipline, or study: I've got packing a suitcase down to a science.

An activity that appears to require study and method: the science of purchasing.

Knowledge, especially that gained through experience.


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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, knowledge, learning, from Old French, from Latin scientia, from scins , scient- present participle of scre, to know; see skei- in Indo-European roots



The wizard on the street, the witch in the marketplace, rarely give much thought to the science and technology behind their abilities to tap into power that Muggles cannot or do not experience in their daily lives. The wise folk think that "science" and "technology" are Muggle concepts and a poor substitute for Magic.

However, Science and Technology are valid descriptions of the training in Magic offered by Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beaubatons Academies, and the traditional apprenticeship program is another system for passing on the Hows and Whys of the phenomena known collectively as Magic. The youngest students are taught Safety and How-To and some historical background. The older students develop skills to be employed on the job or in daily life. Graduates who continue their studies delve more deeply into the Pure Science or Applied Technology aspects: understanding the fundamentals of Magic and/or creating new Spells, Artifices, Potions, etc. for experimental or commercial purposes. Because the ability to use Magic only improves with age, researchers and developers of Magic can expect long and increasingly productive careers. Obsolescence is not a drawback for the Wise, since the fundamentals of Magic are durable and the results never go out of fashion. Change is easier to implement since the costs are mostly in human capital, not in machinery or resources.

When one requires a specific physical object and none is within summoning range, or one is unable to locate such an object, then a Functional Transfiguration will supply the need.

A Temporary Functional Transfiguration (Temp. Funct. Xfig) is simpler than a permanent one; it is less finicky, requires less power, and neatly restores the balance of Nature when the need is past. Examples might be: changing clothing style for fashion, warmth, or size; cosmetics or hairstyling for fashion or disguise; modifying furnishings or materials to create a ladder for escape, or rope for rescue, or similar emergency needs.

Temp. Funct. Xfig is not suitable for food, plants, animals or people, anything that is alive or is required to sustain life. Spells to purify water or air or dirt are recommended over any Transfiguration for decontamination purposes.

A Permanent Functional Transfiguration works best when starting mass and ending mass are roughly equivalent, and the more similar the materials used are to the materials desired, the better the Transfiguration will hold. Even the most Permanent Transfiguration can deteriorate with time and use if starting materials are less than optimal.

The process of Transfiguring one inanimate object to another is not simple, but it is infinitely less difficult than animate to inanimate or vice versa.

One must first decide if this to be a permanent and functional Transfiguration, temporary and functional, or merely an illusionary one.

Illusionary Transfiguration

Illusionary Transfigurations are an extension of basic Invisibility Spells. One removes the visual effect of an object, replacing it with a construct of the desired effect. A clear mental picture of the desired result, coupled with determination and power, will produce to casual observers the appearance of the target, while the item retains all other physical characteristics: mass, size and shape, atomic composition, functionality, smell, touch, taste, sound (if struck). A Clear Sight charm will defeat Illusionary Transfigurations, so while such a Transfiguration may be useful for concealing objects from Muggles, the Wise will not be deceived. A parent, guardian or teacher of children of the Wise will cast a Clear Sight charm prior to bringing the child into the Magical world. While such a charm can be cast at birth, it is advisable to wait until the child has some language, so as to avoid the infant spooking Muggles with uncanny behaviors in the presence of Magic.

Illusionary Transfigurations are usually temporary unless a Fixing Hex is added for stability of the illusion. Such temporary Transfigurations require continuous application of one's power, otherwise the duration is unpredictable.

When one seeks to change physical reality, the Wise have many options from which to select, depending on the desired outcome.

Translation Charms cause movement of an object.

Phase Change Charms can liquefy, solidify, or vaporize an object.

Illusion Charms change the perception of an object.

Transmutation changes the composition of the object (lead to gold, for example). Transmutation can also be considered an extension of Phase Change: one changes the state of a material to a plasma, and then recombines the protons and neutrons into different elemental nuclei, then returns the material to a lower energy level.

Transfiguration combines any of the above-mentioned changes into a whole process.

Transfiguration, as opposed to a mere disguise spell, has basic physical requirements. There must be enough "matter" of a sufficient density to rearrange into the target. One can Transfigure a toothpick into a bookcase, but don't expect to be able to use it to hold any weight. The result will be a shell of a bookcase--a molecular skin of wood stretched over the air, rather like a balloon. It will hold its new appearance, so long as it is not stressed to the breaking point.

Those among the Wise who are especially powerful might be able to Transfigure free energy into additional matter, but the resulting drain on the environment will leave a cold, dark hole around the transformed object. In an open, high energy location, this Transfiguration might pass unnoticed or disregarded by casual observers, or it might result in a nationwide power grid failure rather like that experienced in the United States in the early 2000's. Most Wise folk would not choose to do an energy-to-matter Transfiguration, however, as the possibility of triggering the Use of Magic Around Muggles clause in Wizarding Law is high.

When excess matter is involved, and one does not intend for the Transfiguration to be permanent, one may conceal by means of a Disillusionment Spell (q.v.) that portion which is not required for appearance's sake. The excess mass may impede the functionality of the Transfigured object, however, and adjustments may be necessary before the results are adequate. The alternative of packing the excess into the article will create a superdense object (inherently unstable and dangerous) that will weigh far more than it ought. This could be a good way of creating a "bomb", and would therefore fall under multiple Laws. Transfiguraton is a powerful and dangerous tool, and must be used wisely or not at all!