sci.anthropology.paleo
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Re: Fire (pine knots)

Subject: Re: Fire pine knots
From: Michael Hearne
Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 06:47:41 GMT
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology.paleo
Rich Travsky wrote:
> Mario Petrinovich wrote:
> 
>>        Pine knots are full of resin. It wouldn't be hard tu imagine a
>>monkey breaking off a branch of pine, exposing resin to the sun. If that
>>monkey was in water, the sun can magnify through water drops, and ignite
>>resin. -- Mario
> 
> 
> "in water"?
> 
> Let me see if I visualize this as you do:
> 
> Sun -> water -> branch with resin
> 
> So, the branch is under water? And it's supposed to ignite?

His theory has to do with a lens effect from the water droplets and the
sun. I wonder if it was ever done with say, a quartz crystal or some
other naturally occurring mineral?

I have tried it with my glasses, but it did not work. Of course, my
glasses are concave lenses, while a magnifying glass is convex. A water
droplet, being spherical, might not have the same focal properties, but
I haven't studied it.

It does seem rather complex for a monkey, so it would have to be
accidental, and probably not a repeatable experiment.

Michael

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