Why can't perpetual motion machines be real?

    TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. OVERVIEW
       2.1 PERPETUAL MACHINES
       2.2 EXAMPLES
3. CONCULUSION

1. INTRODUCTION

In this article, using the thermodynamic laws and working logic of perpetual motion machines, the subject of perpetual motion and why such machines cannot be real will be discussed.

2. OVERVIEW

2.1 Perpetual Machines

Perpetual motion is the act of continuing its motion indefinitely without any loss once energized, and no additional energy is required to maintain this motion. Machines that perform this action are called perpetual motion machines.

In order for a perpetual motion machine to work, it must be frictionless and completely silent. During operation, there should be no heat exchange and should not emit radiation. That is, there should be no energy transfer from the system, because the sound, radiation, friction acting on the system will cause the system to lose energy and this will prevent continuous movement.

Figure 1

In the example of the light bulb that produces its own energy in Figure 1, it will definitely go out after a certain period of time, as there will be heat loss from the bulb or because there will be a loss of energy due to the resistance of the cable during the transfer of electricity over the cables.

Perpetual motion has been the focus of attention, both by the public and by inventors, for hundreds of years. The reason why continuous movement is the center of attention is that it promises endless energy and unlimited power if realized.

This promise of perpetual motion has led to the production of many perpetual motion machine projects from the past to the present, but all of them failed and failed to meet their purpose because they violated one or more laws of thermodynamics.

The first law of thermodynamics is derived from the law of conservation of energy and says that the energy of an isolated system is constant, energy can be converted but neither created nor destroyed.

According to the second law of thermodynamics, all processes taking place in the universe lead to an increase in the entropy of the universe. That is, the energy of a system always tends to spread from the system to the universe. This indicates that the system's energy will eventually run out and it will become permanently inoperable. In isolated systems, the second law is explained as follows, when two isolated systems are brought together, they will enter into mutual thermodynamic equilibrium and the entropy in the final state will be either equal to or less than the sum of their initial isolated entropies. In other words, it is understood that there can be a flow from the system to the universe.

2.2 Examples

The circulation machine in Figure 2 belongs to Kadıköy Anatolian High School students Doğa, Baran and Can. In this example, some water is placed in the bottles fixed around a triangle, and after the first movement is given, it is considered as an endless rotating system due to the mass movement of the water in the bottles.

Figure 2

This machine is designed to work with a logic similar to the wheel design of Bhskara (Figure 3), which was designed in 1150 AD. But here, the water in the bottles will go into equilibrium after a while and stop.

Figure 3

Many similar examples can be found, but non of them are realized generally due to the 1st and 2nd Laws of thermodynamics. There will definitely be a loss of energy due to friction. In this example, as seen in figure 4, the continuation of the movement is provided by a motor and batteries placed behind the mechanism.

Figure 4

In another example (Figure 5), it is aimed to pull a metal ball up a ramp with the help of a magnet, drop it down again through a hole at the top of the ramp, and pull it up again, making the ball work in an endless loop by making a tidal movement.

Figure 5

However, the reason why this mechanism does not work lies in the fact that a magnet strong enough to pull the ball up will not allow the ball to fall down the hole (Figure 6).

Figure 6

However, even if we assume that the mechanism is working, the permanent motion will still be prevented, since the magnetic energy of the magnet will eventually be exhausted due to the fact that every moving substance does work against friction and emits heat in this process.

As it seems, both systems designed cannot be realized due to the 1st and 2nd Laws of thermodynamics. Since every moving system will lose energy, and according to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be created from nothing and the existing energy cannot be destroyed, it will definitely stop as a result of the exhaustion of the first motion energy.

3. CONCULUSION

This type of machines has continued to be the center of attention for many years due to the endless energy and constant movement it promises. But according to the laws of physics and thermodynamics, such machines are currently impossible. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be created from nothing and existing energy cannot be destroyed. Energy only changes form. If we think about this law, we understand that there can be no infinite energy. There is a fixed energy in the universe and we can only use the energy we need by using this energy transformation. According to the second law of thermodynamics, when two separate isolated systems, each in thermodynamic equilibrium with itself, interact and reach equilibrium, the final entropy of the system will be less than or equal to the sum of the initial separate and isolated entropies. In other words, the interacting system can lead to an increase in the entropy of the universe. In the examples above, no matter how isolated the system is, the systems will come to a standstill after a while and will not work as intended, as heat energy will definitely emerge due to friction.

Ali Baki TÜRKÖZ