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
Think of a magnet like similar to gravity in a roller coaster.
If you release a cart, it’ll fall from the top of the hill, gaining movement/”energy”, but if it then goes up the next hill it loses energy again, including a bit more from friction. Eventually your cart will come to rest somewhere on the bottom of the track.
Similarly, if you create a nice setup with magnets, the metal will be pulled towards the magnet(down the hill), but then to keep moving will move away from that same magnet again. Losing energy as if you’re going up the hill.
And it turns out that every configuration of magnets and metal and more magnets, is like adding twists and turns and extra hills to your roller coaster.
‘What if i use an extra magnet?’ Is like asking ‘ what if i use an extra downhill?’.
In the end, there is always a setup for your magnets that is like the ‘cart at the bottom of your roller coaster’. To make any movement you need to put extra energy in to push the cart up the hill.
And no matter your starting setup, due to friction you’ll eventually end up in a low energy state, without any speed/energy to get out of it.
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