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The following device is apparently based on magnetic forces only and has no visible energy source:

enter image description here

Where is it's energy source?

Full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA0b-8pqUCk

UPDATE

One of suggestions was that energy coming from heavy rod above the setup, which is lifted initially. Unfortunately, this gives us no more than

$mg dh$

of energy, which means that the energy of rotating wheel is no more than that value. Hence, on the next cycle, it will not be able to lift the rod again to the same level, especially regarding of friction, occurring in the rod-lifting mechanism.

Dims
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3 Answers3

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When the system starts working, the round end of the iron slice on the side is on the top. This pre-stored gravitational potential energy and kind of "magnetic potential energy" is used to drive the system. The only thing one need to consider is how one can fight with friction and air-resistance so that this rotation can be sustained longer. In this case, when it is rotating, some energy are stored back into the magnetic field so that friction only takes a bit of energy away every revolution. After sufficiently long time, however, I believe it will stop.

In conclusion, this is a delicate device to fight with friction but it is not perpetual.

Zheng Liu
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It's friction. The white rotating element is eventually going to stop rotating, so is the one with the magnetic spokes. There's also energy loss due to the white thing hitting the bar on the top because of sound, added to eventual loss of energy due to air resistance.

Gaurav
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There is energy stored in magnets by aligning magnetic moment of the individual clusters of metal so that all atoms contribute to a magnetic field in one direction. When you expose a magnet to an opposite magnetic force, you will deviate some of those clusters. De-magnetisation of magnets do happen, although at a very slow pace, but because it leads to alignment to be broken and all clusters having random alignments opposing against each other, it is truly a form of increasing entropy.

So yes, the magnetic wheel works and has enough strength to work against friction, and even drive some dynamo, possibly charging a smartphone or so. But if you were to create magnets from plain metal, you'd have to provide much more energy to produce a magnetic field strong enough to align all the clusters again.

So no, this is not quite "perpetual motion" as conceptualized by ancient Greeks, much like coupling a nuclear reactor with an electric motor is not perpetual motion.

PypeBros
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