2006-09-12 16:17:58 · 9 answers · asked by NONAME 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
It isn't gravity that prevents perpetual motion. It is entropy...
Aloha
2006-09-12 16:21:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Perpetual motion refers to a condition in which an object moves forever without being driven by an external source of energy.
Scientists and engineers accept the possibility that the current understanding of the laws of physics may be incomplete or incorrect; a perpetual motion device may not be impossible, but overwhelming evidence would be required to justify rewriting the laws of physics. Any proposed perpetual motion design offers a potentially instructive challenge to physicists: we know it can't work (because of the laws of thermodynamics), so explain how it fails to work. The difficulty (and the value) of such an exercise depends on the subtlety of the proposal; the best ones tend to arise from physicists' own thought experiments. Because the principles of thermodynamics are so well established, serious proposals for perpetual motion machines are often met with disbelief on the part of physicists.
2006-09-12 23:22:53 · answer #2 · answered by nighthawk8713 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately not, although gravity is not the main factor deciding this. As a perpetual motion device would require no loss of energy to the surrounding environment, i.e. no heating of the air in contact, no sound given off from the rotation etc, it would be impossible to design and develop a machine that did this. No matter how small the amount of energy transferred into these seemingly insignificant uses, it would slow down, and eventually stop, the device, hence perpetual motion is not achieved.
2006-09-13 05:50:26 · answer #3 · answered by ajstylesmark 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES, and the following is from Wikipedia
"Just how impossible is impossible?
Scientists and engineers accept the possibility that the current understanding of the laws of physics may be incomplete or incorrect; a perpetual motion device may not be impossible, but overwhelming evidence would be required to justify rewriting the laws of physics."
the top Scientists and Engineers agree that the laws of science as they know it, maybe wrong and some may even be missing. Which means the ''laws'' of thermodynamics maybe wrong as well!!!
I know for a fact that perpetual motion is very possible! I've seen it!
2006-09-13 16:52:14 · answer #4 · answered by NTH IQ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a geosynchronous satellite is more or less in perpetual motion. It is constantly falling under the influence of gravity. However orbit decay requires it to use rockets to lift it back to its original path.
2006-09-13 11:16:24 · answer #5 · answered by Elvin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
perpetual motion is possible even under the influence of gravity....
but not possible under friction & air resistance.... so if u want to know if it can take place on earth u will require a non frictional , vaccum medium to work on that
2006-09-13 02:25:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not possible anywhere anytime under any conditions. Thermodynamic observations lead to this conclusion.
2006-09-12 23:26:57 · answer #7 · answered by Ren Hoek 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, because gravity is unidirectional... it will always work into the direction of its own source, at which point it wont work at all... so you can go a long way perhaps, but not forever
2006-09-13 09:30:11 · answer #8 · answered by wolschou 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cant be possible without external driving force. this is like creating power out of nothin. cant make someting move wthout it.
2006-09-13 03:33:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋