What is/do you think is the most energy efficient physical entity in our known universe?

Question

It must be something that has energy to start with, but gives off as close to as much energy it started with in the first place. I'm kind of heading down the "Free Energy" route with this question, and looking for something as close to "Free" as possible.

Answer 1

I would say the stars. They release huge amounts of energy in the fusion process. The byproducts are heavier elements, useful when you want a solid planet to live on. The energy is transmitted by radiation over extreme distances with low loss. It is received at orbiting planets at a steady rate, so it can be utilized most efficiently.

Answer 2

As you ask for the universe it's hard to answer. Of course conservation of energy is valid so in sum they are all very efficient. I guess you ask for processes which involve large energies. The nuclear fusion in the stars is quite a high energetic process. There are other high energy effects that use the high energetic processes intermediated by the strong interaction that holds the nuclei together, like neutron stars.

But also gravity, as the weakest of all known four interactions (strong- and weak interaction, electromagnetism and gravity) can be very high energetic. Letting something fall into a black hole is an example for that.

In terms of the efficiency factor AFAIK the electric transformer is the best device build by human beings, if you asked for a device that has the lowest loss of energy due to unwanted side effects.

Answer 3

A vehicle that uses water for fuel and captures the resultant exhaust for reuse. This vehicle system was displayed at the US Army Transportation School in 1965 and and was to be used for all government vehicles. I checked back with the school 10 years later when we had a gas shortage and found no trace of the vehicle in the school. This was a sure thing until the oil companies and politicians heard about it and sealed all records. Can you imagine the problems this vehicle would have caused to world markets. It could not be allowed. I saw this and had no doubt that it was for real.

Also, Tesla was able to transmit electrical energy through the air without loss. J P Moran put a stop to this idea because he could not make money on it if people could get it out of the air for free.

Answer 4

Cold dark frozen gas and dust out in the middle of nowhere. It uses no energy, and does nothing.

Answer 5

will!