By the Numbers

Staff -- Control Engineering, 9/1/2006

2 things about truth, according to Oscar Wilde: “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” The quote starts Chapter 12 “Learning from others” in the 367-page “Integrating Discrete-Event Simulation into the Manufacturing System Development Process” thesis at the Division of Robotics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lund University, Sweden. www.robotics.lu.se

4 times a year National Instruments equipment grants advance the use of computer-based learning in higher-education classes and instructional laboratories. www.ni.com/academic/programs

6 revolutions are driving manufacturing, according to URL for the Annual Conference of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, Dallas, TX, Oct. 16-20, 2006. They are globalization, collaboration, innovation, “humanation” (the people who make processes and technology productive), information, and perpetuation. www.ameconference.org/revolutions.htm

25 x 25 national energy initiative, promoted by Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM, www.aem.org) in August, aims to obtain 25% of U.S. energy needs from agricultural and other renewable resources by year 2025. www.25x25.org

20 micropascals is the reference quantity for acoustic measurements. For acceleration measurements, one reference is 1 micro-g. www.vibrationandshock.com/glossary.htm

72 helps figure time for an investment to double. With $1,000 at 8% annual interest, the “rule of 72” gives 72/8 = 9 years required for the investment to be worth $2,000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_72

7 records were broken in the maxi class of sailing, July 2005-June 2006, by the trimaran Geronimo, with advanced design, hydraulic-controlled mast positioning, advanced materials, and instrumentation. See August '06, “Much more than controls,” at www.controleng.com/archive

1843 was the year that Samuel Morse, without significant help from discouraged partners, secured funds from Congress to construct the first telegraph line in the U. S. from Baltimore to Washington, DC. After Morse directed the wires to be set on poles, the work advanced well, and by May 1844, the first inter-city electromagnetic telegraph line was ready. From the Capitol building in Washington, Morse sent a Biblical quotation as the first formal message on the line to Baltimore: “What Hath God Wrought!” www.morsehistoricsite.org

$236 will purchase the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standard MG 1-2006, Motors and Generators, with more than 500 pages of manufacturing and performance data on electric motors and generators. Updates include an improved annex, “with a view toward further harmonization with the IEC 60034 series.” www.nema.org/stds/mg1.cfm

90% of electricity is wasted in heat in an incandescent bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs use two-thirds less energy and generate 70% less heat than an equivalent incandescent light bulb, says EPA, in its “Enviro-Qs” quiz. www.epa.gov