A paddle wheel is a large wheel fitted with paddles which is used to propel a boat. A paddle is a tool used for pushing against Liquids either as a form of propulsion in a Boat or as an implement for mixing A boat is a Watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water and provide transport over it Paddle wheels powered by steam engines were the means of propulsion for the paddle steamers of the nineteenth century when the technology reached the height of its popularity, but paddle wheels powered by other means were apparently known about long before, by the Byzantines and ancient Chinese. A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid. A paddle steamer is a ship or boat driven by a Steam engine that uses one or more Paddle wheels to develop thrust for propulsion. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

During the late nineteenth century, the steam powered paddle wheel was gradually replaced in ships as a means of propulsion by the screw propeller, which utilized energy much more effectively (30% wasted energy as opposed to 70% for a paddle wheel). Another problem with paddle steamers is that they were difficult to steer in rough weather, as one or another of the paddles on the side of the ship left the water as a wave passed under the ship, causing the paddle on the other side to turn the vessel.

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic