why can’t we use magnets for perpetual motion?

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I mean, I always used to fancy as a kid why can’t we use magnets to keep a fan going in circles? Why can”t we create a perpetual machine using magnets? Even if the magnets get worn out, we can still use them for considerable time. What is the science behind it that makes it impossible?

In: Engineering

19 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because an iron piece moving towards a permanent magnet is like a ball moving down a hill.

Eventually, it’ll reach the lowest point it can reach and stop moving.

After that, you’ll need to move the ball up the hill before it can move again, and moving it back to its starting position takes as much energy as you could get out of it moving down the hill in the first place.

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