The argument for perpetual motion
One argument for perpetual motion comes form an article that attempts
to debunk the theory of perpetual motion. An article written in The
Washington Post by author Robert L. Park calls attention to the fact
that NASA placed billion dollar funding into a project that incorporated
the idea of a gravity shield generator. The idea came form a Russian
scientist named Eugene Posklwrnov who proposed a machine that could
lift water up to reenergize a inertia based machine. The scientists
did in fact say that they measured a difference in weight after the
Posklwrnov shield was utilized, however it the insignificant change
may have been due to instrument failure. He also manages to debunk another
free energy process that attains energy from "shrinking the hydrogen
atoms into an energy state below the ground state." I am not going to
counter argue the point that the author attempts to make about the impossibility
of below ground state, I will however propose an internet source that
will claim to be create energy though a similar process. Still, even
though this suggests that a gain of serous energy can be found, it is
not likely to be a serious avenue of research due to the insignificant
and sketchy readings obtained by NASA. The real block to the idea of
perpetual motion, besides the fact that one has yet to be built, are
the laws of thermodynamics. These laws are used as a rule of thumb to
compare the practicality of perpetual motion being used in real world
situations. Law 0 and law three have noting to do with normal perpetual
motion because they are based on definitions of temperature. Note that
temperature does have impact on normal energy conversion, but for the
idea of a mechanical perpetual machine they only explain friction. The
most damaging law is law number 1. which states energy will be conserved
in a closed system. In other words it is impossible to allow energy
to surge and law number 2. which states the law of entropy. This law
states that it is impossible for any energy that is used can not be
restored. These laws explain everything about how one of the driving
forces of physics exists to influence the world. Also when applied to
every part of energy exchange these rules can be used to quantify it
and the rules will remain intact. The only problem is that these rules
do not expressly state that perpetual motion is impossible they merely
state that the forms of perpetual motion which regulate energy must
go though changes that have not been observed in the galaxy before.
The argument agianst perpetual motion
The argument against perpetual motion is varied and well supported.
An article written in Time magazine by Michael D. Lemonick points out
a few fundamental problems with perpetual motion machines. "A London
doctor named Robert Fludd invented a water wheel that needed no river
to drive it. Water would power a pump that would, in theory, turn the
wheel that would power a pump that would cause the water to flow back
over the wheel that would power the pump, and so on." He goes on to
support his argument that this type of machine is impossible because
of the second law of thermodynamics, which embodies the law of entropy,
disproves that anything can change noise and friction back into useable
energy. This is a big counter point to argument for this type of machine.
Friction loss would remove some of the energy in the system by real
world problems such as friction. Again the best argument against perpetual
motion is that no machine has been built which can bend the known laws
of physics. Many people have said that bending these laws is possible
but they fail to realize that perpetual motion can not simply pop out
of nowhere it has to be based on something that has occurred and even
the black hole which may break all laws of physics even this conforms
to the Laws of thermodynamics. In black hole energy is being absorbed
and it will never collapse reforming another star. The only thing that
may break the laws of thermodynamics is the zero-point energy theory
which allows people to gain energy from a close space in matter. There
is no obvious way for energy to exist in this small pocket therefore
scientists believe that this energy is made from an unknown source.
Even though this is one theory that puts a hole in thermodynamics at
the same time it destroys the rules for perpetual motion because it
is gaining energy form outside the enclosed system.