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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Power in MPs' 'hot air' weighed up | Power in MPs' 'hot air' weighed up |
| (3 days later) | |
| Students at the University of Leicester have calculated the power available from the "hot air" produced by MPs. | Students at the University of Leicester have calculated the power available from the "hot air" produced by MPs. |
| As part of a fourth-year project, students determined that 650 MPs produce more than 10kW of heat just through "prolonged speaking". | As part of a fourth-year project, students determined that 650 MPs produce more than 10kW of heat just through "prolonged speaking". |
| However, a separate study showed that MPs' breathy heat was insufficient for warming the Commons significantly. | However, a separate study showed that MPs' breathy heat was insufficient for warming the Commons significantly. |
| The tongue-in-cheek project was designed to teach students how to prepare more weighty science articles. | The tongue-in-cheek project was designed to teach students how to prepare more weighty science articles. |
| "Discussions in the UK's House of Commons, particularly during Prime Minister's Questions, are well-known for fiery exchanges," Daniel Staab and co-authors wrote in the first study, Hot Air in the House of Commons. | "Discussions in the UK's House of Commons, particularly during Prime Minister's Questions, are well-known for fiery exchanges," Daniel Staab and co-authors wrote in the first study, Hot Air in the House of Commons. |
| "Given the lively nature of these debates, does the hot air exhaled by MPs constitute a significant heat source?" | "Given the lively nature of these debates, does the hot air exhaled by MPs constitute a significant heat source?" |
| The team determined that more than 2.5kW of power was contained just as heat in the air of their breath - providing they were all speaking continuously. | The team determined that more than 2.5kW of power was contained just as heat in the air of their breath - providing they were all speaking continuously. |
| A further 7.8kW could be gained from the "latent heat" in the water vapour of MPs' breath - heat that is extracted as the water condenses again to a liquid. | A further 7.8kW could be gained from the "latent heat" in the water vapour of MPs' breath - heat that is extracted as the water condenses again to a liquid. |
| 'Off-the-wall' | 'Off-the-wall' |
| In keeping with the methodical process of research science encouraged by the project, a follow-up study was carried out. | In keeping with the methodical process of research science encouraged by the project, a follow-up study was carried out. |
| Emily Jane Watkinson and co-authors found that MPs' hot air cannot really be harnessed to save on energy bills. | Emily Jane Watkinson and co-authors found that MPs' hot air cannot really be harnessed to save on energy bills. |
| In their paper Heat Loss in the House of Commons that in order to maintain a comfortable temperature of 20C, the heat would have to be turned on whenever the outside temperature dropped below 19.8C. | In their paper Heat Loss in the House of Commons that in order to maintain a comfortable temperature of 20C, the heat would have to be turned on whenever the outside temperature dropped below 19.8C. |
| "A lot of the papers published in the journal [Physics Special Topics] are on subjects that are amusing, topical, or a bit off-the-wall," said course leader Mervyn Roy. | "A lot of the papers published in the journal [Physics Special Topics] are on subjects that are amusing, topical, or a bit off-the-wall," said course leader Mervyn Roy. |
| "Because Physics Special Topics is run exactly like a professional journal, the students get the chance to develop all the skills they will need when dealing with high-profile journals like Nature or Science later on in life." |