I am just wondering if perpetual machines can replace battery dependence?
In: 0
A perpetual motion machine is a machine that can do infinite work without any external energy. They do not work, as they violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
A perpetual motion machine is a machine that can do infinite work without any external energy. They do not work, as they violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
The idea of a “perpetual motion machine” comes in two flavors. The “strong” and “weak” one. Both are ideas people have had since antiquity. “Strong” ones are impossible, “weak” ones are impractical.
A “strong” perpetual motion machine is one that provides an infinite source of energy without input. Typically this is imagined to be something that is eternally moving, and can do work with that movement (like spin a turbine) without ever stopping.
A “weak” perpetual motion machine is simply a machine that keeps moving forever, but doesn’t actually generate excess energy. This is imagined as something that moves forever when left alone, but would eventually stop if hooked up to a turbine or similar thing.
We know “strong” perpetual motion machines are impossible. They would break the laws of thermodynamics, which are among the most strongly experimentally-verified laws of science that we have seen anywhere, in any context.
We also know, because of the laws of thermodynamics, that “weak” ones are impractical. Even if a machine is floating in space billions of miles away from everything, it’s still losing energy by radiating it away. You can make a machine that goes for a *very long time* by very carefully isolating it from everything else, but you can’t make one that lasts literally forever (and in any case, you can’t actually pull useful energy *out* of it).
Of course, this doesn’t stop the concept from being attractive to all kinds of pseudoscience types. It’s probably the single most commonly faked “invention” in history, with all kinds of methods being used to hide the energy sources of thousands of different “prototypes”.
* A “perpetual machine” or “perpetual motion machine” is a mechanism that keeps moving unendingly with, allegedly, no input of energy.
* Since this is physically impossible, anyone saying they have devised such a machine is greeted with skepticism.
* Careful analysis of such machines always reveal either
* They don’t actually keep moving forever
* They have an internal power source, so they don’t actually keep moving forever
* They have an external power source, so they have an input of energy.
* Videos on social media of such things fall into a few categories
* Genuine videos of devices whose inventor is unaware that they’ve “cheated” somehow, by including an internal or external power source
* Genuine videos of fake devices, which have a power source that’s kept carefully off-camera
* Faked videos, using video editing or similar to make the motion seem perpetual.
* Since perpetual motion machine don’t actually exist, it’s not possible for them to replace batteries or any other power source.
A perpetual motion machine is a machine that can do infinite work without any external energy. They do not work, as they violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
The idea of a “perpetual motion machine” comes in two flavors. The “strong” and “weak” one. Both are ideas people have had since antiquity. “Strong” ones are impossible, “weak” ones are impractical.
A “strong” perpetual motion machine is one that provides an infinite source of energy without input. Typically this is imagined to be something that is eternally moving, and can do work with that movement (like spin a turbine) without ever stopping.
A “weak” perpetual motion machine is simply a machine that keeps moving forever, but doesn’t actually generate excess energy. This is imagined as something that moves forever when left alone, but would eventually stop if hooked up to a turbine or similar thing.
We know “strong” perpetual motion machines are impossible. They would break the laws of thermodynamics, which are among the most strongly experimentally-verified laws of science that we have seen anywhere, in any context.
We also know, because of the laws of thermodynamics, that “weak” ones are impractical. Even if a machine is floating in space billions of miles away from everything, it’s still losing energy by radiating it away. You can make a machine that goes for a *very long time* by very carefully isolating it from everything else, but you can’t make one that lasts literally forever (and in any case, you can’t actually pull useful energy *out* of it).
Of course, this doesn’t stop the concept from being attractive to all kinds of pseudoscience types. It’s probably the single most commonly faked “invention” in history, with all kinds of methods being used to hide the energy sources of thousands of different “prototypes”.
* A “perpetual machine” or “perpetual motion machine” is a mechanism that keeps moving unendingly with, allegedly, no input of energy.
* Since this is physically impossible, anyone saying they have devised such a machine is greeted with skepticism.
* Careful analysis of such machines always reveal either
* They don’t actually keep moving forever
* They have an internal power source, so they don’t actually keep moving forever
* They have an external power source, so they have an input of energy.
* Videos on social media of such things fall into a few categories
* Genuine videos of devices whose inventor is unaware that they’ve “cheated” somehow, by including an internal or external power source
* Genuine videos of fake devices, which have a power source that’s kept carefully off-camera
* Faked videos, using video editing or similar to make the motion seem perpetual.
* Since perpetual motion machine don’t actually exist, it’s not possible for them to replace batteries or any other power source.
Imagine a rock that can always roll down hill, forever, without being pushed, even when it’s on an uphill. It doesn’t exist. The rock will always stop eventually
Imagine a rock that can always roll down hill, forever, without being pushed, even when it’s on an uphill. It doesn’t exist. The rock will always stop eventually
The idea of a “perpetual motion machine” comes in two flavors. The “strong” and “weak” one. Both are ideas people have had since antiquity. “Strong” ones are impossible, “weak” ones are impractical.
A “strong” perpetual motion machine is one that provides an infinite source of energy without input. Typically this is imagined to be something that is eternally moving, and can do work with that movement (like spin a turbine) without ever stopping.
A “weak” perpetual motion machine is simply a machine that keeps moving forever, but doesn’t actually generate excess energy. This is imagined as something that moves forever when left alone, but would eventually stop if hooked up to a turbine or similar thing.
We know “strong” perpetual motion machines are impossible. They would break the laws of thermodynamics, which are among the most strongly experimentally-verified laws of science that we have seen anywhere, in any context.
We also know, because of the laws of thermodynamics, that “weak” ones are impractical. Even if a machine is floating in space billions of miles away from everything, it’s still losing energy by radiating it away. You can make a machine that goes for a *very long time* by very carefully isolating it from everything else, but you can’t make one that lasts literally forever (and in any case, you can’t actually pull useful energy *out* of it).
Of course, this doesn’t stop the concept from being attractive to all kinds of pseudoscience types. It’s probably the single most commonly faked “invention” in history, with all kinds of methods being used to hide the energy sources of thousands of different “prototypes”.
Latest Answers