How does a clock run?

Many clocks and watches today are run by electricity.  But the most common type of clock, the spring or wind-up clock, is powered by the gradual uncoiling of a steel spring, which moves a series of gears, or wheels. 

The movement turns the hands that point to the hours and minutes on the clock’s face.

When you wind a clock, you are coiling the mainspring.  The spring is mounted on a large gear wheel.

As soon as the spring is wound up tight, it begins to unwind.  As the spring unwinds it turns the gear wheel, which causes the other wheels and parts in the clock’s mechanism to move.

Two special wheels, called the escape wheel and the balance wheel, keep the spring from unwinding too fast and make the wheels turn at an even rate of speed.

As the wheels turn, the movement slowly turns the hands that point to the hours and minutes on the clock’s face.

Watches are really small clocks.  A watch may have as many as 160 different parts.–Dick Rogers

What is St. Elmo’s Fire?

St. Elmo's Fire

St. Elmo’s Fire is the flash of light that is seen around ships in a thunder storm.  It is an electrical discharge caused by the storm.

St. Elmo’s Fire is the name sailors have given to the sudden glow of ghostly flames that can sometimes be men flickering around ships in stormy weather.

The “fire” is actually a charge of electricity that builds up in the ship as it sails along in the storm.

When enough electricity has built up, the ship discharges its electrical overload into the air in a flesh of light that looks like fire as it fizzes and crackles around the tall masts.

This kind of electricity isn’t strong enough to hurt you – but it may make your fingers tingle.

“St. Elmo” is the nickname of Saint Erasmus, guardian saint of Mediterranean sailors.  They once believe that St. Elmo’s fire was a sign that he was watching over their ships and protecting them during storms.

Sometimes you can see St. Elmo’s Fire on land during thunderstorms, flickering from tail church steeples and treetops. -Dick Rogers

What makes a railroad crossing signal go on?

Train crossing signals are worked automatically by electricity made to flow when the train’s wheels touch certain sets of rails near the crossing.  People walking or riding need to be warned at an approaching train when they are about to cross the tacks on the highway.

Railroad Crossing Signal

Safety gates may close.  Electrically operated waving arms and flashing red sights accompanied by the ringing of a crossing bell can also warn of an approaching train.

When you see a train speeding down the track, you may wonder how the signals know it is coming.

The safety signals are operated automatically by an electric current that flows through special sets of rails near the crossing.  When the train’s  metal wheels touch the rails, they close the electric circuit. Causing the safety gate to close, the red lights to flash and the crossing bell to ring.

When the train is safety through the railroad crossing the wheels touch a second set of electrified rails on the other side, which turn the signals off and open the safety gate for the traffic.–Dick Rogers

New Investment up 96% at P370 B - 2

The data also showed that all sectors, except the ICT sector, were up. Leading the sectors was electricity, gas and water supply which generated P127.5 billion in investments and almost tripling the P45.83 billion investments inflow the sector in the January-September period last year.
Investments in the manufacturing sector also substantially improved to P104.37 billion from P77.65 billion followed by real estate, renting and business activities with P73.09 billion from P40.69 billion last year.

Transport, storage and communication generated P15.38 billion in investments from P6.23 billion last year. The infrastructure and industrial services sector generated P12.95 billion from zero investments in the January-September period last year.

The data also showed a good mix of equity investments where Filipino firms contributed P227.08 billion or 61 percent of the total investments figure while foreign investments represent P142.79 billion or 39 percent of the total.

In terms of nationality, the Dutch emerged as the biggest investors in the first nine months of this year with P36.9 billion followed by Great Britain P24.88 billion and South Korea P22.03 billion.

The U.S. and Japan, which used to be the country’s first two biggest investors ranked fourth and fifth. American investments totaled P16.38 billion and the Japanese P14.72 billion. Notably, the big-ticket projects that came in the January-September period this year were mostly in the power generation sector.

The single biggest investment was that of Emerald Energy Corp. for its P36.82 billion power
generation project in Batangas. The company is 99.99 percent Dutch-owned.

Other big-ticket items include the two power projects of British-Filipino Global Business Power Corp. with P22.14 billion and another P17.79 billion project, Kepco SPC Power Corp. of South Korea with P19.95 billion, and the Filipino-owned JG Summit Olefins Corp. P34.38 billion.
The only sore site in the January-September investments picture is the ICT sector, which posted a 28 percent decline in investments to P8.37 billion only from P11.61 billion in the same period last year. But despite the decreased investments, the sector has the biggest jobs contribution of 37,764 or 21 percent of the total employment 147,705 jobs that would be generated by the approved projects.(BCM)