Technology
The Toilet Yes...those tales you've heard are true. The toilet was first patented in England in 1775, invented by one Thomas Crapper, but the extraordinary automatic device called the flush toilet has been around for a long time. Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1400's designed one that worked, at least on paper, and Queen Elizabeth I reputably had one in her palace in Richmond in 1556, complete with flushing and overflow pipes, a bowl valve and a drain trap. In all versions, ancient and modern, the working principle is the same. Tripping a single lever (the handle) sets in motion a series of actions. The trip handle lifts the seal, usually a rubber flapper, allowing water to flow into the bowl. When the tank is nearly empty, the flap falls back in place over the water outlet. A floating ball falls with the water level, opening the water supply inlet valve just as the outlet is being closed. Water flows through the bowl refill tube into the overflow pipe to replenish the trap sealing water. As the water level in the tank nears the top of the overflow pipe, the float closes the inlet valve, completing the cycle. From the oldest of gadgets in the bathroom, let's turn to one of the newest, the toothpaste pump. Sick and tired of toothpaste sq . . .
No matter which type you choose, if you don't have one installed, put down this article and go buy one now! And while you're signing that credit card voucher for the new smoke detector, pause for a moment and gaze at that other technological marvel you are probably holding in your hand, the ball-point pen. A small heater prevents condensation between the compartments, the freezer thermostat turns the compressor on and off, and the temp control limits cold air entering the fridge, by means of an adjustable baffle. The ball is a perfect sphere, which must fit precisely into the extremely smooth nose cone socket so that it will rotate freely yet be held tightly in place so that there is an even ink flow. Both types are considered equally effective and may be battery-powered or wired to the home's electrical system. The ionization chamber type contains a small radiation source, usually a man-made element called Americium. The frost melts and drains away when the coils are warmed during the defrost cycle which is initiated by a timer, and ended by the defrost limiter, before the frozen food melts. The heart of a refrigerator cooling system is the compressor, which squeezes refrigerant gas (usually freon) and pumps it to the condenser, where it becomes a liquid, giving up heat in the process. Commercial production was delayed by World War II, and then in 1945, an American firm, Reynold's, introduced "the miraculous pen which revolutionizes writing" at Gimbel's in New York City. Near the bottom of the rod is a piston, supported by little metal flanges called "dogs", which seat themselves in the grooves on the rod. Although it sounds deceptively simple, perhaps the most amazing thing about ball-point pens is the ink. The refrigerant is then forced through a thin tube, or capillary tube, and as it escapes this restraint and is sucked back into a gas again, absorbing some heat from the food storage compartment while it does so. Why doesn't it just run out the end? Why doesn't it dry up in the plastic cartridge? Bic describes the ink as "exclusive, fast-drying, yet free flowing". The element produces electrically-charged air molecules called ions, and their presence allows a small electric current to flow in the chamber. By the early seventies, Bic pens became the world's largest manufacturer of ball-point pens, and today some two and one-half million Bic ball-points alone are sold every day in North America.
Common topics in this essay:
Smoke Detectors, Queen Elizabeth, North Americans, America Ink, Marcel Bich, Waldo Emerson, War II, Josef Biro, Toilet Yesthose, York City, smoke detector, nose cone, ball-point pens, toothpaste pump, falls water, 19th century, overflow pipe, chamber smoke, smoke detectors, ionization chamber, |
Acceptance Essays
