It’s Christmas 2018 soon and we decided to gift ourselves with a little fun. However we must emphasize our video is a sci-fi glimpse into the future. That said, the scotch yoke for converting linear motion into rotational motion does date from the birth of steam engines. And so we already have part of the mechanism for energy generation by perpetual motion.
Thermodynamics v Energy Generation by Perpetual Motion
If we could achieve this goal we could do much more. We could possibly recharge our batteries with a perpetual motion device attached to our smartphones. However, we first have to find a way around the law of thermodynamics.
This law states that even the rotations of planets which appear perpetual, eventually slow down. This is because of external forces that gradually bring them to a rest. These forces include solar wind, interstellar medium resistance, gravitational radiation and thermal radiation. Even our own Sun will eventually burn out. Now let’s indulge in perpetual motion fantasy.
So is Energy Generation by Perpetual Motion Dead in the Water?
Leonardo da Vinci said, “Oh ye seekers after perpetual motion, how many vain chimeras have you pursued” in 1494. “Go and take your place with the alchemists” he ordered.
However, if we reapplied the forces that started the perpetual motion generators in the video they would run longer. This introduces the possibility of semi-permanent perpetual motion in an open system. Therefore, since it is Christmas we’ll give the oscillating turbines a conditional nod.
Nobel laureate and MIT professor Frank Wilczek first described ‘time crystals’ in 2012. His ‘theoretical constructs’ are structures that repeat in time, as well as in space … but remain unchanged as time passes. However they do not convert thermal energy to work, so no chance of energy generation by perpetual motion that way, at least for now. So we guess it’s back to the drawing board in 2019.
Related
Oxford Electric Bell Baffles Smithsonian
Science Class: Perpetual Motion in Energy
Preview Image: Taccola’s Idea for an Overbalanced Wheel (1419)
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/70FYDUU2PAI
