Levi’s Response to “Preliminary Report”

Jun 192011

Source: Daniele Passerini’s Blog
http://22passi.blogspot.com/2011/06/quattro-gatti-e-sette-persone-3.html

Venerdì 17 giugno 2011
Quattro gatti e sette persone (3)

Su richiesta di Giuseppe Levi pubblico questa sua “lettera aperta a Steven Krivit”.

Dear Mr. Krivit,

I have carefully read your preliminary report on your trip to Bologna. Your report clearly demonstrates that you have not understood anything of what you have seen and what we have explained you.

First of all, the story about the steam. As the signature in my email states, I got a PhD in Physics several years ago. This implies I have totally understood the difference between residual water in steam as a fraction of mass or volume.

As I have unsuccessfully tried to explain:

1) The plots you were showing are well known and can be found in any textbook of physical chemistry. They show measurements of the steam fraction in VOLUME percentage.

2) As I have told you many times, Dr. Galantini, the expert chemist that was in charge, performed measurements in MASS percentage.

As Professor Zanchini told you the same day we met, one of the crucial bits of information you omitted from your preliminary report is that a fraction of water in the steam, measured by MASS as we have done, would reduce the amount of measured energy in a linear way.

Therefore, our calculations and our analysis are correct.

Given that you omitted portions of information you had, insulted me (and my University) trying to say that I’m not knowledgeable enough in my area, tried (just tried) to scare me and put me under psychological pressure in order to obtain so far undisclosed data, I will not send you further information.

Regards,
Dr. G.Levi

N.B. La lettera di Levi a Krivit si riferisce alla visita di quest’ultimo a Bologna il 14 e 15 giugno scorsi, di cui ho appena cominciato a parlare nei post Quattro gatti e sette persone (1) e Quattro gatti e sette persone (2)… una serie che sembra annunciarsi lunga!

Aggiungo che anche in presenza di Kullander, Essén e Lewan furono fatte misure per frazione di massa.

Ovviamente spero che Steven, ritorni sui suoi troppo frettolosi passi e nel report definitivo racconti un po’ più esaustivamente la sua visita a Bologna, ancorandosi soprattutto a veri e propri fatti… anche io il 14 gennaio, come tanti, mi infilai per errore dal gommista lì vicino (mi riferisco al 3° e 4° capoverso del suo “preliminary report”), ma lo ritenni un particolare di nessun valore e continuo a ritenerlo tale: domandai e trovai subito l’ingresso giusto!

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POSTSCRIPT 1: As it turns out, it was irrelevant whether they calculated the steam by mass or volume. Galantini, the chemist hired by Rossi, used the wrong instrument: It was incapable of measuring steam quality.

POSTSCRIPT 2: It would also have been irrelevant if they had used the correct instrument because Rossi was sending unvaporized water down into the hole in the wall.

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