What is your idea of mans closest invention to a perpetual motion machine?

Question

Would a solar cell coupled to a geosyncronous satelite be a canidate?

Answer 1

An hydroelectric dam would meet your criteria for a "perpetual motion machine", since it extracts energy from water potential which is continually replenished in nature. But it doesn't violate laws of physics. Neither would a solar cell coupled to a geosynchronous satellite.

A perpetual motion machine of the first kind produces more energy than it consumes, which violates the law of conservation of energy. A perpetual motion machine of the second kind, however, extract ambient energy, usually heat, but most designs violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. A few top notch physicists, such as Maxwell, Feynman, Linde, have proposed such machines of the 2nd kind, but none have been successfully implemented.

There is a connection between the concept of perpetual motion machines of the 2nd kind with self-organized complexity, which seems to violate entropy production, but does not. For example, some very sophisticated high end vacuum chambers make use of special finned walls which stochastically traps air molecules, seemingly in violation of the 2nd law, but when analyzed carefully does not.

Addendum: In response to those not up to speed about classification of perpetual motion machines, the 2nd kind doesn't attempt to create energy out of nothing, but that it attempts to extract energy from a source without using some kind of a heat sink, as most thermodynamic engines do. For this reason, it's been deemed that even this 2nd kind is "impossible", but thinkers such as Maxwell and Feynman weren't 100% persuaded. There exists no "logical proof of impossibility" of such a thing, even though none has ever been successfully built yet. Check the literature on Maxwell's Demon, for example. "Proofs" against it aren't all that conclusive.

Answer 2

i think of you would be able to nicely be perplexed as to what the critics truthfully mean while they say perpetual action. i will plug a motor right into a wall socket and, given no positioned on and tear, the motor will run perpetually. What a perpetual action device potential is that no exterior potential is presented into the equipment, or if there is, there's a internet output of potential from the equipment that equals the enter. Even those nifty little floaty magnetic tops that drift ultimately end turning as a results of fact of friction from the air. you will desire to in line with risk positioned the magnetic ideal in a vacuum, yet even in an business "vacuum" there are nevertheless sufficient molecules of gasoline to have interaction with and finally end the device. And via the way, those critics for whom no staute has ever been equipped? one in each and every of them became Einstein. There are some statues of him, truthfully.

Answer 3

This is like asking the closest to the time travel machine. There is no such thing as close. Either you have the machine or you don't. The solar cell / satellite may come close as an 'unlimited power source', but I don't see how is qualifies as 'motion'.

Answer 4

Syphens are perpetual motion machines. If one takes two barrels, and puts two siphens with opposit ends in each barrel, and closes the barrels in an airtight containes so moisture is not lost, the syphens will work until the sun explodes or gravity stops.

Technically it doesn't count because the earth is adding gravity, so it's not a closed system; at least that's what I'm told.

YOur example is also not a closed system because the sun is constantly adding energy. It's an open system. PErpetual motion must not have any energy added from an outside source.

Answer 5

No, all the examples given are false, your still extracting energy from a source. Based on our current understanding of the basic laws of physics/thermodynamics perpetual motion is impossible.

Answer 6

If you are strick about the machine part. Then the anniversary clock is a good bet. It needs winding once a year(on your university). Only the winding provides energy.
Best tricky one is the clock sealed in plastic so no one can wind anything, or get into its parts. It does wind itself when the air pressure changes so it does use energy, just very sneaky .

Answer 7

I think everybody who answered needs to go and look up the definition of a perpetual motion machine. That's today's homework.

Answer 8

Perpetual Motion - an object in continuous motion with out addition of energy.

I submit the voyager spacecraft... Its in motion and is on a course taking it out side our solar system... Should be in motion for a very very very long time.....

Answer 9

Probably superconductors since the electrons keep on moving round and round with zero resistance.

Answer 10

I believe the answer is a gyroscope in a vacuum suspended on a passive magnetic bearing. that is the best we can currently do