A perpetual motion machine, or in Latin "perpetum mobile", is a hypothetical machine that could function forever after giving it an initial impulse and without the need for a subsequent supply of energy to it.
Laws of thermodynamics
To understand whether perpetum mobile is possible or impossible, we should recall the first two laws of thermodynamics:
- The first law of thermodynamics states: “Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it can only transform into different states and types.” That is, if work is done on a given system or it exchanges heat with the external environment, then its internal energy changes.
- Second law of thermodynamics. According to him, “the entropy of the Universe tends to increase over time.” This law indicates in which direction the flow will occur spontaneously. In addition, this law implies the impossibility of transferring energy from one type to another without loss.
Perpetual motion machine of the first and second kind
The perpetual motion machine, or in Latin perpetuum mobile, comes in two types:
- A perpetual motion machine of the first kind is a machine that constantly works without the supply of external energy and at the same time does some work. That is, the perpetum mobile of the first kind contradicts the first law of thermodynamics, which is why, by the way, it received the name of the engine of the first kind.
- A perpetual motion machine of the second kind is any machine that operates in periodic cycles, converting one type of energy into another, for example, mechanical into electrical and vice versa, without any losses in the process of this conversion. That is, a perpetual motion machine (perpetuum mobile) of the second kind contradicts the second law of thermodynamics.
Impossibility of existence
A perpetual motion machine of the first kind contradicts the fundamental law of physics on the conservation of energy of an isolated system, and therefore cannot exist. As for the perpetuum mobile of the second kind, it is also impossible, since in any working engine energy is dissipated in various ways, mainly in the form of heat.
Considering that the laws of thermodynamics have been tested over several centuries of experiments and experiments and have never failed, we can safely say that any projects of perpetual motion machines are a hoax. Such projects often arise in various religious circles, in which there are beliefs about endless sources of energy and so on.
In addition, from time to time various mental “paradoxes” appear, which seem to demonstrate the performance of certain perpetum mobiles. In all these cases we are talking about errors in understanding the laws of physics, so such mental “paradoxes” are instructive.
Historical searches for perpetual motion machines and their importance for the development of mankind
The laws of thermodynamics were finally established in the second half of the 19th century. According to them, any working machine cannot transfer energy from one state to another with an efficiency of 100%, not to mention constantly supplying energy to other systems without supplying it to the machine itself.
Despite this, many people throughout history and to this day have searched and continue to search for various designs of working perpetual motion machines, which can be compared to a kind of “elixir of youth” in the field of mechanics.
All designs of such machines involve the use of different weights, angles, physical or mechanical properties of specific substances that can move constantly and even create an excess amount of useful energy. Speaking about modern times and its enormous energy needs, one can understand the importance of the perpetum mobile, which would become a real revolution in the development of mankind.
Returning to history, it should be said that the first known projects of perpetual motion machines began to appear in medieval Europe. It is believed that the first model of a perpetual motion machine was a corresponding invention in Bavaria in the 8th century AD.
Famous projects of perpetual motion machines in the Middle Ages
Unfortunately, to date nothing is known about the existence of perpetum mobile projects in societies before the Middle Ages. There is no information that the ancient Greeks or Romans created such machines.
The most ancient invention of a perpetual motion machine known to mankind is the magic wheel. Although there are no surviving images of this invention, historical written sources say that it dates back to the Merovingian Empire in what is now Bavaria in the 8th century. However, some historians say that this machine did not exist in reality and that all information about it is a legend.
Bhaskara was a famous Indian mathematician who is recognized as the most influential scientist of the Middle Ages on his continent. His work concerning differential equations preceded similar works by Newton and Leibniz by 5 centuries. Around 1150, Bhaskara invented a wheel that was supposed to rotate forever. Unfortunately, this invention was never constructed, but it is the first clear evidence of attempts to create perpetual motion.
The first invention of a perpetual motion machine in Europe is the machine of the famous French freemason and 13th-century architect Villars de Honnecourt. It is not known for sure whether his invention was constructed, but in the diaries of Villars de Honnecourt they find an image of his perpetuum mobile.
The legendary engineer and inventor from Florence Leonardo da Vinci also created several machines - perpetual motion machines, and in this regard he was several centuries ahead of his time. These machines, naturally, turned out to be inoperative, and the scientist concluded that it was impossible for perpetual motion machines to exist in physics.
Perpetual motion machines of modern times
With the advent of perpetual motion, it became a popular activity, and many inventors spent their time creating such a machine. This boom is associated primarily with the success in the development of mechanics.
Thus, the Italian inventor of the 16th century Mark Zimara designed an ever-running mill, and the Dutchman Cornelius Drebbel dedicated one of these inventions to the English king. In 1712, engineer Johann Bessler analyzed more than 300 similar inventions and decided to create his own perpetum mobile.
As a result, in 1775, members of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris issued a decree that they would not accept any inventions that were associated with the theme of perpetual motion.
Thought experiments
In theoretical physics, thought experiments are often used to try to test fundamental physical laws. Regarding the topic of perpetual motion machines, the following projects can be mentioned:
- Maxwell's demon. We are talking about a violation of the second law of thermodynamics when a hypothetical demon separates a mixture of gases. This thought experiment allows us to understand the essence of the entropy of a system.
- A perpetual motion machine that performs work through thermal fluctuations and can therefore run forever. In reality, it will work as long as the environment is warmer than the engine itself.
Is the hope of creating a perpetual motion machine completely dead?
We cannot say with certainty that a mechanism that can work forever will never be invented, since humanity still does not know much about the Universe in which it lives. Perhaps a type of exotic matter will be discovered, such as black matter in space, about which almost nothing is known. The behavior of this matter may force us to reconsider the laws of thermodynamics. These laws are so fundamental that any change in their scale will be similar to the influence of Albert Einstein's theory on the laws of classical mechanics of Isaac Newton and on the development of physics in general. It is also possible that perpetual motion exists in objects whose behavior is governed by quantum mechanics.
Perpetual motion technology has attracted people at all times. Today it is considered more pseudoscientific and impossible than vice versa, but this does not stop people from creating ever more outlandish gizmos and gizmos in the hope of breaking the laws of physics and causing a world revolution. Here are ten historical and extremely entertaining attempts to create something similar to a perpetual motion machine.
In the 1950s, Romanian engineer Nicolae Vasilescu-Carpen invented the battery. Now located (though not on display) at the National Technical Museum of Romania, this battery still works, although scientists still do not agree on how or why it continues to work at all.
The battery in the device remains the same single-voltage battery that Karpen installed in the 50s. For a long time, the car was forgotten until the museum was able to properly exhibit it and ensure the safety of such a strange contraption. Recently it was discovered that the battery works and still produces a stable voltage - after 60 years.
Having successfully defended his doctorate on the topic of magnetic effects in moving bodies in 1904, Karpen certainly could have created something out of the ordinary. By 1909, he began researching high-frequency currents and the transmission of telephone signals over long distances. Built telegraph stations, researched environmental heat and advanced fuel cell technology. However, modern scientists have still not come to common conclusions about the operating principles of his strange battery.
Many conjectures have been put forward, from the conversion of thermal energy into mechanical energy in a cycle process, the thermodynamic principle of which we have not yet discovered. The mathematics behind his invention seem incredibly complex, potentially including concepts like the thermosyphon effect and scalar field temperature equations. Although we have not been able to create a perpetual motion machine capable of generating endless and free energy in huge quantities, nothing stops us from enjoying a battery that runs continuously for 60 years.
Joe Newman's Energy Machine
In 1911, the US Patent Office issued a huge decree. They will no longer issue patents for perpetual motion devices because it seems scientifically impossible to create such a device. For some inventors, this meant that the battle to have their work recognized as legitimate science would now be a little more difficult.
In 1984, Joe Newman went on the CMS Evening News with Dan Rather and revealed something incredible. People living during the oil crisis were delighted with the inventor's idea: he introduced a perpetual motion machine that worked and produced more energy than it consumed.
Scientists, however, did not believe a single word Newman said.
The National Bureau of Standards tested the scientist's device, which consists largely of batteries charged by a magnet rotating inside a coil of wire. During the tests, all of Newman's statements turned out to be empty, although some people continued to believe the scientist. So he decided to take his energy machine and go on tour, demonstrating its operation along the way. Newman claimed that his machine outputs 10 times more energy than it absorbs, meaning it operates at over 100% efficiency. When his patent applications were rejected and his invention was literally trashed by the scientific community, his grief knew no bounds.
An amateur scientist who didn't even graduate from high school, Newman didn't give up even when no one supported his plan. Convinced that God had given him a machine that would change humanity for the better, Newman always believed that the true value of his machine had always been hidden from the powers that be.
Robert Fludd's water screw
Robert Fludd was the kind of symbol that could only appear at a certain time in history. Part scientist, part alchemist, Fludd described and invented things at the turn of the 17th century. He had some rather strange ideas: he believed that lightning was the earthly embodiment of the wrath of God, which strikes them if they do not flee. That being said, Fludd believed in a number of principles that we accept today, even if most people did not accept them back then.
His version of a perpetual motion machine was a water wheel that could grind grain by constantly rotating under the influence of recirculating water. Fludd called it a "water screw." In 1660, the first woodcuts depicting such an idea appeared (the appearance of which is attributed to 1618).
Needless to say, the device did not work. However, Fludd wasn't just trying to break the laws of physics with his machine. He also looked for a way to help farmers. At that time, processing huge volumes of grain depended on flows. Those who lived far from a suitable source of running water were forced to load up their crops, haul them to the mill, and then back to the farm. If this perpetual motion machine were to work, it would make life much easier for countless farmers.
Wheel of Bhaskara
One of the earliest references to perpetual motion machines comes from the mathematician and astronomer Bhaskara, from his writings in 1150. His concept was an unbalanced wheel with a series of curved spokes inside filled with mercury. As the wheel rotated, the mercury began to move, providing the push needed to keep the wheel spinning.
Over many centuries, a huge number of variations of this idea have been invented. It is quite clear why it should work: a wheel that is in a state of imbalance is trying to bring itself to rest and, in theory, will continue to move. Some designers believed so strongly in the possibility of creating such a wheel that they even designed brakes in case the process got out of hand.
With our modern understanding of force, friction and work, we know that an unbalanced wheel will not achieve the desired effect, since we will not be able to get all the energy back, nor will we be able to extract it much or forever. However, the idea itself was and remains intriguing to people unfamiliar with modern physics, especially in the Hindu religious context of reincarnation and the circle of life. The idea became so popular that wheeled perpetual motion machines later found their way into Islamic and European scriptures.
Cox watch
When the famous London clockmaker James Cox built his perpetual motion clock in 1774, it worked exactly as the accompanying documentation described, explaining why this clock did not need to be wound. The six-page document explained how the watch was created based on "mechanical and philosophical principles."
According to Cox, the watch's diamond-powered perpetual motion machine and reduced internal friction to almost no friction ensured that the metals used to construct the watch would degrade much more slowly than anyone had ever seen. In addition to this grandiose announcement, many presentations of new technology back then included mystical elements.
Besides the fact that Cox's watch was a perpetual motion machine, it was a brilliant watch. Encased in glass, which protected the internal working components from dust while also allowing them to be viewed, the clock operated from changes in atmospheric pressure. If the mercury rose or fell inside the hour barometer, the movement of the mercury would turn the internal wheels in the same direction, partially winding the clock. If the watch was wound continuously, the gears would come out of their grooves until the chain loosened to a certain point, after which everything would fall into place and the watch would begin to wind itself again.
The first widely accepted example of a perpetual motion clock was shown by Cox himself in the Spring Garden. He was later seen at week-long exhibitions at the Mechanical Museum, and then at the Clerkenville Institute. At that time, the display of these watches was such a miracle that they were depicted in countless works of art, and crowds regularly came to Cox wanting to gaze at his wonderful creation.
"Testatika" by Paul Baumann
Watchmaker Paul Baumann founded the spiritual society Meternitha in the 1950s. In addition to abstaining from alcohol, drugs and tobacco, members of this religious sect live in a self-sufficient, environmentally conscious atmosphere. To achieve this, they rely on a miraculous perpetual motion machine created by their founder.
The machine, called Testatika, can take supposedly unused electrical energy and turn it into energy for the community. Due to its secrecy, scientists were unable to fully examine the Testatica, although the machine became the subject of a short documentary in 1999. Not much was shown, but enough to understand that the sect almost idolizes this sacred machine.
The plans and features of Testatika were revealed to Baumann directly from God while he was serving a prison sentence for seducing a young girl. According to the official legend, he was saddened by the darkness of his cell and the lack of light for reading. Then he was visited by a mysterious mystical vision, which revealed to him the secret of perpetual motion and endless energy that can be drawn directly from the air. Members of the sect confirm that Testatika was sent to them by God, also noting that several attempts to photograph the car revealed a multi-colored halo around it.
In the 1990s, a Bulgarian physicist infiltrated the sect to learn the design of the machine, hoping to reveal the secret of this magical energy device to the world. But he failed to convince the sectarians. After committing suicide in 1997 by jumping out of a window, he left a suicide note: “I did what I could, let those who can do better.”
Bessler wheel
Johann Bessler began his research into perpetual motion with a simple concept, like the Bhaskara wheel: apply weight to the wheel on one side, and it will be constantly unbalanced and constantly moving. On November 12, 1717, Bessler sealed his invention in a room. The door was closed and the room was guarded. When it was opened two weeks later, the 3.7-meter wheel was still moving. The room was sealed again and the pattern was repeated. Opening the door in early January 1718, people discovered that the wheel was still turning.
Although a celebrity after all this, Bessler remained tight-lipped about how the wheel works, noting only that it relies on weights to keep it unbalanced. Moreover, Bessler was so secretive that when one engineer snuck a closer look at the engineer's creation, Bessler freaked out and destroyed the wheel. The engineer later said that he did not notice anything suspicious. However, he only saw the outer part of the wheel, so he could not understand how it worked. Even in those days, the idea of a perpetual motion machine was met with some cynicism. Centuries earlier, Leonardo da Vinci himself scoffed at the idea of such a machine.
Yet the concept of the Bessler wheel never completely went away. In 2014, Warwickshire engineer John Collins revealed that he had been studying Bessler's wheel design for years and was close to solving its mystery. Bessler once wrote that he had destroyed all the evidence, drawings and drawings about the principles of his wheel, but added that anyone who was smart and quick-witted enough could understand everything for sure.
Otis T. Carr UFO Engine
The objects included in the Copyright Register (third series, 1958: July-December) seem a little strange. Even though the US Patent Office long ago ruled that it would not issue any patents on perpetual motion devices because they could not exist, OTC Enterprises Inc. and its founder Otis Carr are listed as the owners of the "free energy system", "peaceful atom energy" and "gravitational engine".
In 1959, OTC Enterprises planned to carry out the first flight of its “fourth-dimensional space transport” powered by perpetual motion. And while at least one person got a brief look at the jumbled parts of the heavily guarded project, the device itself was never revealed or "off the ground." Carr himself was hospitalized with vague symptoms on the day the device was due to make its first journey.
His illness may have been a clever way to avoid the demonstration, but it was not enough to put Carr behind bars. By selling options on technology that did not exist, Carr interested investors in the project, as well as people who believed that his device would take them to other planets.
To get around the patent restrictions of his crazy designs, Carr patented the whole thing as an "entertainment device" that would simulate trips to outer space. It was US Patent #2,912,244 (November 10, 1959). Carr argued that his spacecraft worked because one had already flown away. The propulsion system was a "circular free energy foil" that provided an endless supply of energy needed to propel the vehicle into space.
Of course, the strangeness of what was happening opened the door to conspiracy theories. Some people have suggested that Carr actually assembled his perpetual motion machine and flying machine. But, of course, he was quickly clamped down by the American government. The theorists could not agree: either the government does not want to disclose the technology, or it wants to use it independently.
Perpetuum Mobile by Cornelius Drebbel
The weird thing about Cornelius Drebbel's perpetual motion machine is that while we don't know how or why it worked, you've definitely seen it more often than you think.
Drebbel first demonstrated his machine in 1604 and amazed everyone, including the English royal family. The machine was something like a chronometer; it never needed winding and showed the date and moon phase. Driven by changes in temperature or weather, Drebbel's machine also used a thermoscope or barometer, similar to Cox's clock.
No one knows what provided the movement and energy for Drebbel’s device, since he spoke of curbing the “fiery spirit of the air,” like a real alchemist. At that time, the world still thought in terms of the four elements, and Drebbel himself experimented with sulfur and saltpeter.
As stated in a letter from 1604, the earliest known representation of the device showed a central ball surrounded by a glass tube filled with liquid. Gold arrows and markings tracked the phases of the moon. Other images were more elaborate, showing a car adorned with mythological creatures and gold embellishments. Drebbel's Perpetuum mobile also appeared in some paintings, particularly by Albrecht and Rubens. In these paintings, the strange toroidal shape of the machine does not resemble a sphere at all.
In his self-proclaimed "incredibly true life story," David Hamel claims to be an ordinary carpenter with no formal training who was chosen to become the guardian of the eternal energy machine and the spacecraft that would operate it. After an encounter with aliens from the planet Kladen, Hamel claimed to have received information that would change the world - if only people would believe him.
While this is all a bit disconcerting, Hamel said his perpetual motion machine uses the same energies as spiders jumping from one web to another. These scalar forces nullify the pull of gravity and make it possible to create a device that will allow us to reunite with our Kladensky relatives, who provided Hamel with the necessary information.
According to Hamel, he has already built such a device. Unfortunately, it flew away.
After working for 20 years to build his interstellar device and engine using a series of magnets, he finally turned it on and this is what happened. Filled with a glow of colorful ions, his anti-gravity machine rose into the air and flew over the Pacific Ocean. To avoid a repeat of this tragic event, Hamel is building his next car from heavier materials, like granite.
To understand the principles behind this technology, Hamel says you need to look at the pyramids, study some forbidden books, accept the presence of invisible energy, and think of scalars and the ionosphere much like milk and cheese.
The idea of a perpetual motion machine has excited humanity since ancient times. Among the inventors of the perpetual motion machine were scientists who sincerely believed in the possibility...
From Masterweb
23.02.2018 16:39The golden dream of mankind in all centuries has been to create a device that would produce work without consuming anything or expending its own resources - a perpetual motion machine (perpetuum mobile in Latin).
The first descriptions of such a device are found in ancient Arabic and Indian manuscripts.
The question arises: perpetuum mobile - what is it?
Bhaskara engine
The Indian astronomer and mathematician Bhaskara, who lived in the 12th century and wrote a number of extant works on astronomy and mathematics, proposed one of the first versions of perpetuum mobile. The description of a perpetual motion machine came to us in one of his poems. The eternal perpetuum mobile was a wheel, to the diagonal spokes of which vessels with mercury were attached. When the wheel rotates, mercury flows in the vessels, the center of gravity changes, and the wheel must rotate on its own continuously.
Perpetuum mobile - what is it? A goal to strive for, or something impossible?
Inventors of perpetual motion machine
The inventors of perpetual motion machines count in the thousands. Great people have also attempted to create it. Among the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, a sketch of a perpetuum mobile was discovered. Nikola Tesla and Michael Faraday also tried to create such a device.
In the 18th century, the alchemist and engineer Johan Bessler, also known as Orphireus, created a “working” model of a perpetual motion machine. The device was a wooden wheel covered with fabric, with an axle in the center, which rotated in a locked, empty room for 14 days. The "self-propelled wheel" created a sensation in society. Even Peter the Great became interested in him when word reached Russia. Orfireus categorically refused to reveal the secret of his invention. Bessler's maid, having quarreled with her master, said that she and the alchemist's brother moved the wheel, pulling a cord from the next room.
Depending on the development of science, inventors tried to create engines using magnets, electric batteries, and water jets.
Abbot Giuseppe Zamboni created a “perpetual electric motor” based on a dry battery without the use of acid. The Zamboni battery-powered pendulum worked for several decades, after the death of the inventor.
In 1775, the French Academy of Sciences announced that it would no longer consider the problems of perpetual motion and squaring the circle.
Options for perpetual motion machines
The list of designs for perpetual motion machines can be continued for a long time. With the development of radio engineering and electronics, inventors tried to use elements of electrical and radio circuits for this.
Among the interesting options:
- Robert Flood's water screw. A water wheel that continues to grind grain under the influence of recirculating water. Cox's perpetual watch, which he said was created based on mechanical and philosophical principles. The Karpen battery, which was created in the 50s of the last century and still produces voltage. Newman's electric machine, which he claims produces more energy than was expended. Otis Carr's UFO engine, which uses gravitational energy unknown to science.
Perpetual motion machines of the first kind
With the development of theoretical thermodynamics, its three main principles were formulated. In accordance with the principles of thermodynamics, the genus of perpetuum mobile is determined. The first law of thermodynamics describes the law of conservation of energy.
And perpetual motion machines, capable of working and producing energy without consuming anything, are called engines of the first kind. The law of conservation of energy is fundamental. Nature prohibits the existence of perpetual motion machines of the first kind.
Perpetual motion machines of the second kind
The second law of thermodynamics is a principle that describes the direction of heat transfer between bodies. It is described by the postulates of Clausius and Thomson, which prohibit the transfer of heat from a less heated body to a more heated one.
Perpetual motion machines of the second kind are engines that use the internal heat (energy) of a closed system to operate. Perpetual motion machines of the second kind are quite ingenious devices. It is not immediately possible to see a violation of physical laws in them. Sometimes they have very scientific names. For example, a parametric electric machine, a heat-to-electricity converter, an alternator motor, a system that creates power from the energy of an electrostatic field, etc. The essence does not change.
Maxwell's demon
To illustrate the second law of thermodynamics and to explain what it is - perpetuum mobile, James Maxwell came up with a certain fantastic creature that is in a closed volume and, like ping-pong balls, throws molecules with a high temperature to one side of the vessel, and with a low temperature - to another. As a result, one part of the vessel is heated and the other is cooled without the use of additional energy. If we neglect the energy that Maxwell's demon should receive, we have an almost perpetual motion machine. All that remains is to come up with a demon that would agree to work without consuming anything. The image of Maxwell's demon is also found in literature. In the Strugatsky brothers' novel "Monday Begins on Saturday," Maxwell's demons open and close doors NIICHAVO. Ken Kesey used this image to demonstrate the relationship of good and evil in human society. Maxwell's demon of the “first kind” is also found in Stanislaw Lem.
Devices that last forever continue to be invented to this day. And some even manage to get a patent. True, patent offices avoid the name “perpetual motion machine,” but this does not change the essence. Thus, in 2005, the American Boris Wolfson patented a certain device based on antigravity, which, without consuming anything, would create gravity on board spaceships, and in 1995, our compatriot Alexander Frolov received an American patent for “devices for creating useful work without the use of external sources."
Dec 15, 2014
From the Latin language the phrase “perpetual motion machine” Perpetuum Mobile is translated as “constant, or perpetual motion.” Essentially, this is the machine that relates to those imaginary thoughts that a person is capable of.
If such a machine actually existed, then the essence of its operation would be uninterrupted operation. That is, if you start it once, it will work for the rest of its life. In a word, this is the process of obtaining energy simply out of nowhere. The idea is simply wonderful, but unfortunately too far from reality.
Why do people want to create a perpetual motion machine so much?
In a word, there is nothing surprising in this. After all, if you ask any modern person what he thinks about this, then, without hesitation, the answer would be positive. Starting from the 12th century, the crusades just began to take place, and the society that belonged to the European one was just beginning to move. And as a consequence of all this, art of various directions began to develop quite actively. Moreover, along with all this, the process of improving the machines that set the mechanisms in motion increased. In particular, these were both the wheels of the water plane and those wheels that worked due to the movement of animals.
That is why such a brilliant idea appeared to create a more efficient machine, which in turn would drive less expensive energy. The question arises: why is energy inexpensive?! Everything is very simple and quite understandable. If it arises from nothing, then as a consequence of this, it will not cost “nothing.”
A more popular idea for such an engine appeared in the 16th century. At the same period when the transition to machine-type productivity began. It was then that the number of projects for such an engine went off scale for several thousand.
By the way, not only ordinary workers, but even very noble people, scientists of that time, wanted to invent such an engine. After all, at that time, there was no ban on the creation of such a structure, as such.
And at the end of the 17th century, such famous testers as Cardano and Galileo began to insist that it was impossible to build a perpetual motion machine. But at the same time, Stevin Simon, based on such contradictions, discovers the law of equilibrium of the tilt plane. This led to the discovery of a more important and significant law about the addition of three forces in a triangle. And by the end of the 18th century, after numerous experiments, most concluded that creating an engine was impossible. However, these were just experiments.
From the beginning of 1776, the French Academy, which was actively involved in experiments, flatly abandoned the idea of creating a perpetual motion machine. But with all this, academicians had no reason to deny that it is impossible to take energy from the outside. And only thanks to the law of conservation of energy, it was proven that energy does not appear from the outside and from nowhere and does not go anywhere.
Law of conservation of energy versus perpetual motion
The final stage was that in 1906, the famous scientist Einstein generalized the “law of conservation of energy” with the very version ““. By this he showed that the process of “conservation of masses” itself is an integral part of the “law of conservation of energy”.
And again, the creation of a perpetual motion machine to this day remains only in dreams. Perhaps in the future, humanity will be able to bring the centuries-old dream to life, but for now this topic is still open. It is along it that various disputes, debates and excursions take place, and, as you know, truth is born in a dispute.
Human nature is such that from time immemorial people have tried to create something that works on its own, without any outside influences. Subsequently, this device was given the definition Perpetuum Mobile or . Many famous scientists of different times tried unsuccessfully to create it, including the great Leonardo da Vinci. He spent several years creating a perpetual motion machine, both by improving existing models and trying to create something completely new. Having finally figured out why nothing worked, he was the first to formulate the conclusion that it was impossible to create such a mechanism. However, the inventors were not convinced by his formulation, and they are still trying to create the impossible.
Bhaskara Wheel and similar perpetual motion machines projects
It is not known for certain who and when first tried to create a perpetual motion machine, but the first mention of it in manuscripts dates back to the 12th century. The manuscripts belong to the Indian mathematician Bhaskara. They describe in poetic form a certain wheel, with tubes attached to it around the perimeter, half filled with mercury. It was believed that due to the flow of liquid, the wheel itself would rotate endlessly. Using approximately the same principle, several more attempts were made to create a perpetual motion machine. As usual, no luck.
Models built on the principle of the Bhaskar wheel
Perpetual motion machine from a chain of floats
Another prototype of a perpetual motion machine is based on the use of Archimedes' law. In theory, it was believed that a chain consisting of hollow reservoirs would rotate due to the buoyant force. Only one thing was not taken into account - the pressure of the water column on the lowest tank will compensate for the buoyancy force.
Perpetual motion machine operating according to Archimedes' law
Another inventor of a perpetual motion machine is the Dutch mathematician Simon Stevin. According to his theory, a chain of 14 balls thrown through a triangular prism should begin to move, because there are twice as many balls on the left side as on the right, and the lower balls balance each other. But here, too, the insidious laws of physics thwarted the inventor’s plans. Despite the fact that four balls are twice as heavy as two, they roll on a flatter surface, therefore the force of gravity acting on the balls on the right is balanced by the force of gravity acting on the balls on the left, and the system remains in equilibrium.
Stevin's perpetual motion model and its implementation with a chain
Perpetual motion machine with permanent magnets
With the advent of permanent (and especially neodymium) magnets, the inventors of perpetual motion machines became active again. There are many variations of magnet-based electric generators, and one of their first inventors, Michael Brady, even patented this idea in the 90s of the last century.
Michael Brady working on a permanent magnet perpetual motion machine in 2002
And the video below shows a fairly simple design that anyone can make at home (if you collect enough magnets). It is unknown how long this thing will spin, but even if you do not take into account energy losses from friction, this engine can only be considered conditionally eternal, because the power of the magnets weakens over time. But still, the spectacle is mesmerizing.
Of course, we have not talked about all the options for perpetual motion machines, because human imagination, if not endless, is very inventive. However, all existing models of perpetual motion machines have one thing in common - they are not eternal. That is why the Paris Academy of Sciences decided not to consider perpetual motion projects since 1775, and the US Patent Office has not issued such patents for more than a hundred years. And yet, in the International Patent Classification there are still sections for some types of perpetual motion machines. But this only applies to the novelty of design solutions.
To summarize, we can only say one thing: despite the fact that it is still believed that the creation of a truly perpetual motion machine is impossible, no one forbids trying, inventing and believing in the impossible.
