Why were early factories compelled to locate near fast-flowing rivers?
Answer
To harness the kinetic energy of waterwheels
Prior to the steam engine, industrial mills required proximity to fast-flowing rivers because they depended entirely on the mechanical energy captured from waterwheels driven by the water's kinetic energy.
Related Questions
What constrained sustained, high-intensity mechanical work before the steam engine?What fundamental conversion did the steam engine reliably achieve?What allowed industry to break free from geographical constraints imposed by older power methods?Why were early factories compelled to locate near fast-flowing rivers?What specific operational issue limited the complexity and scale of continuous manufacturing when using natural power?For draining deep mines, what was the initial crucial advantage of Newcomen's atmospheric engine, overriding its inefficiency?What did James Watt's introduction of the separate condenser principally achieve for the steam engine?How did the application of steam power enable a dramatic increase in the scale of industrial output?What constraint did the steam locomotive overcome regarding land transport?What sequence characterized the economic progression spurred by early steam engine development?