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Take a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlx2PgESXhs

It shows a machine that a Norwegian artist built. It seemingly keeps going forever. They filmed it over 3 days and it kept going at the same time.

Can someone analyze the energy losses in this machine?

I'm seeing several losses at the moment:

  1. The ball is losing energy due to friction while going around the track.
  2. The pendulums are losing energy due to air friction.

What other sources of energy losses can you notice?

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1 Answer

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There is no such thing as real perpetual machine, as it defies the law of thermodynamics. Friction is definitely present as the ball goes around the track,and the air resistance force too. The magnets will slowly lose their magnetism over time and the ball will ultimately stop. Also, I do not see how ones can extract useful work from that machine.

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This is correct, also there is friction not only on the ball but also on all balancing/compensating components. – anna v Sep 23 '12 at 3:40

protected by Qmechanic♦ Dec 19 '12 at 12:55

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