Question how does a perpetual motion device violate the first (and second?) law of thermodynamics?
I'm confused why a perpetual motion device wont work b/c of HOW it violates the 1st and 2nd laws. I guess b/c i dont understand the laws very well

Best Answer The main confusion is that "perpetual motion device" doesn't mean what it appears to mean. Classically, a perpetual motion device is one of two things: 1) something that continues to operate even as you extract useful work from it. It's not just something that spins forever, but it's something that pumps water forever, or runs an electric light forever, or drives a car forever, without any renewal of fuel or other energy source. 2) something that loses energy to friction, but, by some technique, extracts all the energy from the heat and uses it to replace its lost energy, so that it never spins down. For the first case, when you think of it as "something that runs forever without spinning down", well, physics doesn't forbid that. An object spinning around in a perfect vacuum in an empty universe would not be violating the laws of thermodynamics by spinning forever. However, if it were being used to power a light bulb, and the light shone even while the object didn't change in any way, then there is energy coming from nowhere, and that is a violation of the laws of physics. This is the first law case, a machine that just keeps creating energy. Now, the second law case is a bit trickier. Let's say you had a wheel that was spinning. It would start to spin more and more slowly, as its motion is lost to heating up the air and heating up the axle around which it is spinning. So, somebody might ask if there is a way to take that heat and use it to speed up the wheel again. That is, to convert that heat back to mechanical energy with 100% efficiency. This is forbidden by the second law, which sets an upper limit on the efficiency with which you can extract energy from a temperature difference.

Question Is there any evidence of a successful perpetual motion device?
i have developed a prototype device that uses several means of power generation without any external sources. meaning it runs on it's own power continuously without stopping. what are the chances of getting patent approval.

Best Answer Not a drop. Secondly, considering man has been trying for the last 80 years and has consistently failed in this endeavor, I'd bet the bank on yours being a pipe dream also. In order to produce perpetual motion, you would have to defy the natural laws of physics. There may be a place in the universe this is possible, but it damn sure ain't here.

Question Did I just make a perpetual motion device?
Dear yahoo. I think I just made a perpetual motion thing. If I leave the water on in the sink the floating wooden spoon keeps moving back and forth in the exact same way every time. Did I just make science?

Best Answer Perpetual motion devices are physically impossible due to the Law of Conservation of Energy. In any mechanical device you will have some energy that is lost due to friction. Friction generally creates heat which is transferred to the environment increasing the ambient energy. So the answer to your question is no. The water flowing into the sink is creating the motion and you do NOT want to know how much energy is is taking to get that water to come out of your faucet.