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perpetual machine

I think this will not work because the water can't flow out of the tube.
(But what if we make the other end a little wider, will the water stop right before that part? What confuses me is that even a wet sponge will start dipping eventually.)

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  • $\begingroup$ -1 because the text and figure are unreadable like this to me. $\endgroup$
    – Bernhard
    Aug 13, 2014 at 12:09

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I suggest you build one in your kitchen. Cut a sponge into a J shape and hook it over a pencil, so that the straight edge dangles into a bowl of water. Put piece of tissue paper under the hook to catch drips and wrinkle, in case they come while you're asleep. Wait.

I suspect you'll find that the top of the sponge never actually gets wet enough to drip. Capillary action has enough energy to fill the capillary, but once the capillary is full the force is gone.

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