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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by GP40-2 [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by trainjunky29 How is a steamer's power curve related to a Gaussian Curve? 1.) A Gaussian curve returns to 0 as the x-component increases, a steamer's does not 2.) A steam locomotive has nothing to do with probability nor with quantum physics 3.) A steam locomotive's power curve has no points of inflection 4.) I plotted feltonhill's data, and it looks nothing like the curves shown in the above link or a "classic Gaussian distribution curve." Sincerely, Daniel Parks [/quote] Let's look at the data, and focus on speed vs. hp: Speed - Calc TE (lbs) - Actual DB Pull (lbs) - Actual DBHP 0 - 135,300 - 131,000 - 0 10 - 132,500 - 124,000 - 3,307 20 - 109,000 - 98,000 - 5,227 30 - 83,000 - 75,000 - 6,000 40 - 67,000 - 57,000 - 6,080 50 - 56,100 - 43,000 - 5,733 60 - 48,700 - 32,000 - 5,120 SPEED=X HP=Y X Y 0 0 10 3307 20 5527 30 6000 40 6080 50 5733 60 5120 70 4000 (extrapolated) 80 2800 (extrapolated) Plot those, and you will get a bell shaped curve. Maybe not a "pure Guassian", but a bell shaped curve none the less. I'm also curious why you think probability and statistics can not be used to describe how a steam locomotive works? After all, Monte Carlo routines are often used now in mechanical engineering design... [/quote] Dear GP40-2, Due to the reasons I have sighted as points 1, 3, and 4 above, a horsepower curve looks little like a Bell-shaped curve. I presume by Monte Carlo Routine you mean what is described here: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Carlo_method[/url]. You will notice that these have to do with random numbers. At the macroscopic locomotive level, as I'm sure you realize, random motions tend to cancel one another out. There's not much that's random on a Big Boy (other than which bolt will rust in place next [:)]). Sincerely, Daniel Parks
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