1

I have been recently made aware of the following motor, which uses two magnets and a wheel to generate motion, and the creator of this machine claims that this motion is perpetual.

Here is a YouTube video demonstration of the motor in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8-Kek8Halc

Of course, I know that a perpetual motion machine could not exist due to the First Law of Thermodynamics, however, I've been struggling to find an explanation on why this particular motor seems to run so flawlessly. Obviously, in the video, sounds and friction can be heard, so some energy exchange must be happening. Where is that energy coming from?

I've been told that this machine could not be perpetual due to the fact that magnets lose their magnetism over time. While this is true, I don't find this explanation satisfying, because if demagnetization over time was the only problem, then this machine could still probably run freely for months or years.

The video demonstration is very short, and I strongly suspect that this motor would stop running after a certain amount of time, possibly a few minutes or hours. So my question is why wouldn't it work? Why is it not perpetual? Certainly, the decay of magnetic properties of a magnet is not the only answer.

Qmechanic
  • 220,844
Biodome
  • 19

1 Answers1

2

The Museum of Unworkable Devices should give you a few ideas. As they say, "There seems to be a thriving cottage industry of hobbyists making fake perpetual motion devices and posting videos on the internet."

They catalog many examples, with some analysis. For a fun evening or two, visit https://lockhaven.edu/~dsimanek/museum/unwork.htm

Community
  • 1
Peter Diehr
  • 7,367