Articles written by Earl King

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About me - Earl King

I'm a retired electrical engineer. My working years were spent as a power engineer for a major electric utility. Most of this work was spent as a substation designer. Some years were spent designing, building and operating of electric power distribution.

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Sciences > Physics How electricity is generated: 1 of 8
HOW ELECTRICITY IS GENERATED Electricity is a form of energy. It can't be created or destroyed. It can only be converted from or to another form of energy. So let's explore where the energy comes from. Heat energy can be produced from the splitting of atoms in a nuclear reactor. Heat can also be produced by burning wood, coal... More..
Sciences > Physics Centrifugal forces explained: 1 of 6
Centrifugal Forces Explained Attach a string to a ball and whirl it about your head at a constant speed. You must exert a force on the string to keep the ball from going off in a straight line. Think of David and his sling when he felled Goliath. At the appropriate time he let loose the stone and sent it flying into the giant... More..
Sciences > Physics Ancient Roman road construction lessons for modern engineers: 1 of 4
Ancient Roman road construction lessonsFor modern engineers Can it be possible that ancient Roman engineers were ahead of their modern day counterparts in some areas? I've read recently that we have not been giving ancient societies enough credit for their technology development. Let's explore the idea expressed in our title.... More..
Sciences > Physics What keeps a ship afloat: 2 of 5
WHAT KEEPS A SHIP AFLOAT Prior to the late 19th century, anyone could answer the question, "What keeps a ship afloat?". It's made of wood and wood floats. Later toward the end of the century, iron and then steel became the construction material of choice for large ships and battle ships. I think the answer to the question giv... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ancient History Mummification explained: 6 of 12
MUMMIFICATION EXPLAINEDReligion was a dominating influence in the life of the ancient Egyptians. The principle focus was their belief in life after death. They believed that a one's life-force was composed of several parts. The most important was the ka. This was a duplicate of the body. It stayed with the person throughout t... More..
Sciences > Physics Alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC): A simple explanation: 4 of 8
ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) ANDDIRECT CURRENT (DC):A SIMPLE EXPLANATION The simplest explanation would be dc current flows in one direction. Alternating current flows first one way then the other. But this really doesn't teach us anything. If we are going to spend time looking at how this comes about. I think that will still be ... More..
Sciences > Physics How electrical current flows: 4 of 8
HOW ELECTRICAL CURRENT FLOWS Throw a switch on the wall and light will flood the room. Click the power button on your TV remote and sound and pictures appear. Electricity controls your heating and air conditioning as well as the rest of your world. How does it work? How does it get to your light? Notice some things right off ... More..
Home & Garden > Electrical Repairs Why circuit breakers trip: 9 of 14
WHY CIRCUIT BREAKERS TRIPThe reason a circuit breaker trips will vary somewhat depending on the breaker and its application. For our present purpose we will discuss the molded-case breaker found in residential settings. This breaker is used in many other light power service applications as well.In all things pertaining to ele... More..
Sciences > Physics How we get electric power: 2 of 3
HOW WE GET ELECTRIC POWER Energy is all around us. It is part of our environment. Without it the universe would come to a standstill. Another major part of our environment is matter. Matter is anything you can see and touch. The work of Albert Einstein has shown that matter and energy are equivalent. We can change matter into... More..
Arts & Humanities > Colonial & Early American History Understanding the historical significance of the Mayflower Compact: 6 of 7
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OFTHE MAYFLOWER COMPACTThe Mayflower Compact is a document that has been hailed as the forerunner to the American Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution. To understand this we must turn back the clock to a storm tossed day on the north Atlantic in the year 1620.As t... More..