Question Do magnets affect perpetual motion in space?
(in space) if a metal magnet ring surrounds a rod of metal that you set spinning, will the magnetism eventually slow down the spinning rod, or will it just center the rod inside of the ring and allow it to spin as long as it is undisturbed?

Best Answer Depends on a couple things. The direction the rod is pointed and the direction it is spinning. If the axis of rotation of the rod, the axis of rotational symmetry of the cylindrical shape of the rod, and the magnetic moment of the metal were all pointed in the same way, no current would be induced in the metal rod and it would not slow down. But it would not automatically center itself. If the magnetic moment wobbles, or the metal moves in any way which is not along its axis of rotational symmetry, it will not be a maintainable situation. If there are any currents induced or if the magnet itself is producing a time-varying field seen by someone nearby who is not rotating with it, it will slow down.

Question Perpetual motion with earth magnets. Science Fair. Need examples DONT NEED STUPID or "CAN NOT HAPPEN" comments
I am trying to research a more in depth way of discovering perpetual motion. The best I can figure out is magnets. Although they because useless overtime it is the beset in terms of efficency. Any ideas that might work? Like the nail and 1/2 watt bulb?

Best Answer You can't make anything with "real perpetual motion", but you can make devices that keep extracting power from their surroundings as long as the power source is available and they remain in working order. A science fair project explaining the difference might work. In principle, you can extract energy from the earth's rotation. It would seem as though you could do so with a pendulum or gyroscope You could have a Foucault pendulum with a piece from an old-fashioned grandfather clock that keeps the pendulum swinging despite friction, only driven by the apparent rotation of the pendulum. Or you could have a gyroscope that's kept turning by its own precession. Either way, what would make or break the project is the writing along with it. You would need to write about Foucault pendulums or precession of gyroscopes, but you would also need to write about conservation of angular momentum, and explain why it's a problem for the device in question, and what in the real world actually *does* extract energy from the earth's rotation.

Question Perpetual Motion and magnets...?
Second question of mine here... Okay, if you had a non-magnetic tube, and inside this tube were three magnets. The magnet in the center is free to spin around and thus exert it's negative and positive forces to different ends of the tube. Now, attach to the same point on the central magnet two small strings connected to the other two magnets, and another small string connecting the two side magnets. Have both end magnets have the same polarity toward the center magnet(lets say it's the negative side for this). You start the magnets off with one close to the center (magnet1) magnet and one away (magnet2). Magnet2 is far and thus it's string is extending so that only the negative portion of the center magnet is facing Magnet1. Being repelled away by the center magnet, magnet1 will pull it's string tight and thus turn the center magnet and at the same time pull magnet2 toward the center. Magnet2 would then be repelled by the center magnet and would pull it's string to cause the center magnet to turn again and pull magnet1 to the center. Wouldn't this create perpetual motion? Even though you'd need to use some for of energy to start the process, wouldn't the repelling of the magnets and pull of the center magnet when it's opposite faces one of the side magnets create it's own motion?

Best Answer Energy will be lost in each pull of the string. Eventually the magnets will reach a equilibrium state.