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Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

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Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#91

Post by kalms »

WalterBright wrote: post #57
kalms wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, but Bullitt's car chase is terribly boring. I don't get why it's so fascinating?

Maybe you're used to the modern cinematographic technique of quick cuts where one barely has time to focus on a scene. Older movies tend to use longer shots in action sequences. Besides what I already mentioned, Bullitt is cool because: 1. the setup where the guy puts on his seatbelt 2. the total lack of dialog - the driver and the gunman understand each other just by looks 3. the deadpan expression on the driver 4.…

It needs more Michael Bay! Kidding aside, I do agree the Fastback and Charger are beautiful pieces of engineering. What I wouldn't do to own a Charger.

I'll have to (try and) watch the movie again.

Personal favourite is the car chase from Ronin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVaNBrYLvFg#t=339

Link to Bullitt chase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lbs_nYW3-o

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#92

Post by enneff »

corin_ wrote: post #71
nutjob123 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has a slightly negative connotation.

In my experience it's actually rarely used negatively (ymmv of course) - I only really hear it when the context is "these people (the boffins) do something about which I don't understand", so it's almost self-deprecating to call them boffins. On the otherhand it's also not particularly positive, either. As an example: Stephen Fry uses it, and he is a.) a geek and b.) not the kind of person to insult people for that k…

Stephen Fry is incredibly condescending almost constantly, so I wouldn't cite him in defense of the word.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#93

Post by mwg66 »

gsnedders wrote: post #13
Theodores wrote: post #5

The Mercedes F1 team appears to be one team that makes cars with engines that they also supply to other teams. However it is not quite like that. The engines part of the business has been going for a long time with McLaren since the mid 90's and before that they were 'Ilmor'. Then, five years or so, Mercedes bought what was the Honda/Braun constructor team. Both the engine business and the car constructor part of the…

They cannot within the rules of the sport supply power trains of different designs to the different teams — all Mercedes power trains are identical.

Indeed but McLaren and Williams manufacturer their own gearbox.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#94

Post by ars »

sliverstorm wrote: post #62
gsnedders wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the end of the day sound is an inherent inefficiency. The aim is to maximise the kinetic energy output of the motor — any sound or heat energy produced is waste that could've better been produced as kinetic energy.

Not always. Did you know that in top fuel cars, the "waste" energy of the exhaust works like jet thrusters, providing up to 1000lbs of traction-boosting downforce?

The exhaust might do that, but the sound certainly doesn't. Any sound is wasted energy.

And in any case there are better ways to harness energy if you want create downforce.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#95

Post by nbevans »

FatalLogic wrote: post #9
mikeash wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't aware there was anything wrong with that word. Is it derogatory?

It's generally used by non-scientists to refer to scientists. People don't tend to use it to refer to themselves (though a few might, in a humorously self-deprecating fashion). It might have a dismissive or mocking connotation, depending on the intention of the person using it. I guess in the worst case, its use could be described as 'othering' https://google.com/search?q=define%3A+othering

Don't be silly. Other than perhaps in a school playground where _any_ word said repeatedly enough can be considered abusive, boffin is not word that anyone can take offence from really.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#96

Post by FatalLogic »

nbevans wrote: post #95
FatalLogic wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's generally used by non-scientists to refer to scientists. People don't tend to use it to refer to themselves (though a few might, in a humorously self-deprecating fashion). It might have a dismissive or mocking connotation, depending on the intention of the person using it. I guess in the worst case, its use could be described as 'othering' https://google.com/search?q=define%3A+othering

Don't be silly. Other than perhaps in a school playground where _any_ word said repeatedly enough can be considered abusive, boffin is not word that anyone can take offence from really.

Many scientists do take offence.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/jul/2...

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#97

Post by WalterBright »

kalms wrote: post #91
WalterBright wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you're used to the modern cinematographic technique of quick cuts where one barely has time to focus on a scene. Older movies tend to use longer shots in action sequences. Besides what I already mentioned, Bullitt is cool because: 1. the setup where the guy puts on his seatbelt 2. the total lack of dialog - the driver and the gunman understand each other just by looks 3. the deadpan expression on the driver 4.…

It needs more Michael Bay! Kidding aside, I do agree the Fastback and Charger are beautiful pieces of engineering. What I wouldn't do to own a Charger. I'll have to (try and) watch the movie again. Personal favourite is the car chase from Ronin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVaNBrYLvFg#t=339 Link to Bullitt chase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lbs_nYW3-o

> What I wouldn't do to own a Charger.

What stops me is I don't have the garage space for it, or I'd get one. If you don't need one fully restored, or numbers matching, or all original, the prices aren't too bad.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#98

Post by agent00f »

cc439 wrote: post #48

The cool part of this innovation is that it can directly benefit consumers. Trick engineering in F1 usually just tricks the regulations or the kinds of physics that only apply to racing prototypes. An example of tricking the regulations would be the double-deck and blown diffusers that were just clever interpretations of the rulebook. Tricking physics is a bit more interesting, a good example would be McLaren's F-Duc…

> What Mercedes' has done isn't so much about the innovative layout, it's that they've made it work without turbo lag.

The innovative layout is what enables the reduction in turbo lag. The latter is entirely predicated on the physical positions of the turbine relative to the compressor.

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#99

Post by kalms »

WalterBright wrote: post #97
kalms wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It needs more Michael Bay! Kidding aside, I do agree the Fastback and Charger are beautiful pieces of engineering. What I wouldn't do to own a Charger. I'll have to (try and) watch the movie again. Personal favourite is the car chase from Ronin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVaNBrYLvFg#t=339 Link to Bullitt chase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lbs_nYW3-o

> What I wouldn't do to own a Charger. What stops me is I don't have the garage space for it, or I'd get one. If you don't need one fully restored, or numbers matching, or all original, the prices aren't too bad.

They are in Denmark ;-)

Re: Mercedes Is Owning This Formula 1 Season

#100

Post by silon5 »

cc439 wrote: post #60
sliverstorm wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eliminating turbo lag is less about making a better turbo, and more about making the turbo work in concert with the engine. This is usually about picking a good size turbo that picks up smoothly with the given engine. Better turbos will make for better engines, but I would think you can never fix turbo lag with turbo improvements alone...

Mercedes has their turbo tied in to a motor/generator that smooths out the spin-up/spin-down cycle and can recover a bit of energy as a bonus. A lot of companies have tried to make electric-assisted turbos work but this is the first real-world application I know of.

This is the way F1 turbo/engine is specified to work. Not specific to Mercedes. Only the split turbine/compressor is Mercedes specific.
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