Perpetual Motion Machines: The Elusive Pursuit of Infinite Energy

The pursuit of perpetual motion machines has captivated the minds of inventors, scientists, and dreamers alike for centuries. All along, it has also served as a rich source of science quacks as well. What is it about perpetual motion machines that bridges both good actors as well as the bad ones?

I will try to answer this question in a moment. But first, let me tell you about a fond childhood memory of mine. As a child, I dreamed of a spaceship that could traverse space eternally.

I did not know how it would achieve this. But I was certain that this was possible. As I grew up and learned more about the physics of our universe, my conviction dwindled.

It turns out that our known physics makes it nearly impossible, if not, impossible for a spaceship to traverse space eternally.

But does that mean that I should give up on the idea? You see, this line of thought is precisely what has been driving generations of inventors, scientists, and quacks alike on this elusive pursuit of perpetual motion machines.

In this essay, I will be exploring the notion of perpetual motion machines by linking their rather complicated relationship with entropy and thermodynamics. If such a discussion interests you, then please be by guest to read along.

This essay is supported by Generatebg

What Are Perpetual Motion Machines?

The fundamental idea of a perpetual motion machine is a device that performs its function by generating its own energy. Let us imagine a car that takes in water as fuel and produces steam as its output.

What if this car can cyclically take its steam output and convert it back to the water that powers it? That sounds promising, doesn’t it? If you are the astute reader, you might be wondering where the car gets its energy from to heat and cool water and steam respectively.

I will return to this predicament in a bit. For now, let us imagine a device that is capable of generating its own energy to sustain its function eternally. Such a device would qualify as a perpetual motion machine.

In other words, this perpetual motion machine produces limitless energy on its own. If you think about it, inventing a perpetual motion machine promises endless possibilities for powering our homes, transportation, and industries.

But what is it exactly about the physics of our universe that makes perpetual motion machines apparently impossible? As I alluded to earlier, the answer lies in the realm of thermodynamics and entropy.

But before we dive into this technical discussion, let us take a brief look at humanity’s track record with perpetual motion machines.

Perpetual Motion Machines: A Brief Human History

It comes to nobody’s surprise that you and I are not the first people to imagine such machines. The concept of perpetual motion dates back to ancient times, with numerous designs and devices proposed throughout history.

Way back in the 12th century, Indian mathematician Bhaskara II conceived an idea for a wheel that would rotate perpetually, driven by the imbalance created by containers of liquid on its rim.

In the 13th century, French architect Villard de Honnecourt also proposed a similar design for a perpetual motion machine. However, people of science later proved that neither of these designs would work.

For instance, Bhaskara’s wheel fails to rotate perpetually because the weight imbalance would change its centre of gravity. This would just cause it to rock back and forth akin to a pendulum, and eventually stop.

Leonardo da Vinci, in the 15th century, sketched out ideas for perpetual motion machines as well. Being the genius inventor he was, he himself concluded that they were impossible based on his analysis.

Fast forward to modern times, and nothing has stopped inventors from attempting to create perpetual motion machines.

This situation has gotten so out of hand that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has an official policy that refuses patents for perpetual motion machines without a working model.

Even despite this, inventors and engineers (and quacks) continue striving. The most important point to note here is that science has disproved/debunked humanity’s every single claim towards perpetual motion thus far.

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The First Barrier: The First Law of Thermodynamics

Here is a simplified formulation of the first law of thermodynamics:

The total energy of an isolated system remains constant. Inside this system, energy may be converted from one for into another form.

This is where the phrase “energy may neither be created nor be destroyed but be transformed” typically comes from; the law of conservation of energy, if you will.

Why is this law relevant for perpetual motion machines? Well, let us revisit our hypothetical car running on steam. Even if we assume that it is 100% efficient in converting water to steam (and vice-versa) without energy leakage, its net energy remains constant.

That is precisely what the first law of thermodynamics says. In other words, the car needs external energy to do the work of heating and cooling. If we consider this energy source as being inside the system of the car, we have to answer the following question:

“Where does this energy source derive its energy from?”

You see, the spiral never stops growing outward. Every energy source we can conceive of derives its energy from something else (given a long-enough time horizon). There is no eternally self-sustaining energy source that we know of.

It is clear that this is a big hurdle to clear. But wait, there’s more. There is a second barrier that poses an even bigger challenge to perpetual motion machines than this one.

The Second Barrier: Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics states the following:

“The entropy of an isolated system that is spontaneously evolving can never decrease.”

For a crash course on entropy, check out my essay on entropy for dummies. In my essay on the origins of entropy (I highly recommend this essay as well), I covered how entropy causes the steam engine to be up to 95% inefficient.

In other words, the steam engine loses up to 95% of the energy it produces to drive the wheels to the environment as heat waste.

When we discussed the first law of thermodynamics in the context of our steam car, we started by saying “Even if we assume that the car is 100% efficient in converting water to steam…”. Note the assumption here.

Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics essentially ensure that this assumption is impossible. Why? Well, every mechanical machine that you and I can think of makes noises, has friction losses, wear and tear, etc.

In other words, all of these inefficiencies add up such that, over time, the inefficiency of a machine can only increase. This is not science; this is the empirical reality we have known thus far.

Now, you could argue that we could “maintain” the machine/car to keep it in pristine condition. Well, then, we have to answer the following question:

“Where does the energy needed for maintenance come from?”

As you can see, this spiral also never stops growing outward, and we are left with a similar issue. The only difference is that the scale of this barrier is arguably much larger as compared to the first one.

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The Pursuit Continues: Free Energy and Overunity Devices

Despite the apparent impossibility of perpetual motion machines, the pursuit of alternative energy sources and more efficient technologies continues.

Modern inventors, researchers, and quacks have shifted their focus to “free energy” or “overunity” devices, which are claimed to produce more energy than they consume.

While these devices may not achieve true perpetual motion, they still challenge our understanding of energy conservation and push the boundaries of what we believe is possible.

This brings me to the discussion of what my line of work has to do with perpetual motion machines.

Author’s Adventures with Perpetual Motion Machines

Atthe outset, I have to apologise that due to the nature of some of my projects, I cannot reveal (sensitive) technical information. But that does not stop me from sharing how useful the notion of perpetual motion machines actually is!

I can already guess what you might be thinking now:

“After spending all this time about how perpetual motion machines are apparently impossible, don’t tell me now that you have a working design.”

Well, don’t worry; I do not have a working design to peddle here. The laws that I just described hold firm. But the pursuit of perpetual motion machines has proved to be incredibly productive and useful in my life.

Think about artificially created human environments where perfect efficiency is nearly possible. Digital communication, computational problems, etc., are very good examples of such environments.

Even in such paradigms, perfect efficiency is impossible. However, these environments enable us to extract as much work as possible expending the least amount of effort.

Imagine that I create a system of chained logical decisions based on the flip of a switch (a truth flag, if you will). If this system is digital, then, the net energy expenditure to perform the logical operations is significantly (and I mean SIGNIFICANTLY) lesser than a physical machine.

It just turns out that if I pretend that perpetual motion machines are possible in such environments, I am able to come up with systems that are remarkably efficient and autonomous.

If you are the intellectual type (more so if you are a programmer or researcher), this should set your brain ablaze with fresh thoughts and ideas. I will let your imagination take over from here.

Final Thoughts

As I see it, the quest for perpetual motion machines is a fascinating journey that features two parts:

1. The history of human ingenuity (if you choose to ignore the quacks), and

2. Our understanding of the fundamental principles that govern our universe.

The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics indeed appear to render perpetual motion impossible.

However, the pursuit of these elusive machines has driven scientific advancements and inspired new ways of thinking about energy, efficiency, and our relationship with the natural world.

From my experience, there is one topic that serves as a convenient focal point for all of these advancements and innovations: Entropy.

If you are interested in reading more on this topic, I have an entire series of essays that explores its beauty and applications.

As we continue to explore and develop new technologies, the dream of perpetual motion may remain just out of our reach.

But I strongly believe that it will undoubtedly continue to serve as a source of inspiration and a reminder of the (seemingly) limitless potential of human innovation.

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Further reading that might interest you: 

• How Imagination Helps You Get Good At Mental Math?
•  Logarithms: The Long Forgotten Story Of Scientific Progress
• Why Earning More Leads To Lesser Satisfaction

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