Professor Hibbert's Perpetual Motion Pages
I have constructed these pages to:
- Provide a source for the Australian Skeptics "What we are
skeptical of" entry on perpetual motion
- Give a brief statement of the Laws of Thermodynamics
- Through feedback amass more examples of unusual chemical
claims
The page draws from and augments an article published in the
Skeptic, the journal of the Australian Skeptics Inc. {"A Chemical
Free Lunch" , Vol 14 (1) 36-37 (1994)}.
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What do we mean by "Perpetual Motion"?
In the sense of energy we refer to a perpetual motion machine as
any putative device that violates the First Law
of Thermodynamics or the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
We say 'putative' because so far no device, invention, or
scheme has ever been shown to violate these laws. Indeed a despairing
US patent office has been forced to issue the following notice to
stem the tide of nonsense inventions:
The views of the Patent Office are in accord with
those scientists who have investigated the subject and are to the
effect that such devices are physical impossibilities. The position
of the Office can only be rebutted by a working model. ... The Office
hesitates to accept fees from applicants who believe they have
discovered Perpetual Motion, and deems it only fair to give such
applicants a word of warning that fees cannot be recovered after the
case has been considered by the Examiner.
Where to go from here
See also:
The best site I have come across is by H. P. Gramatke at http://www.hp-gramatke.net/perpetuum/frame1.htm.
You can read about some of the law violators in more detail, with pictures and
animations.
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