“David Jones has built a number of ingenious ‘fake’ perpetual motion machines for museums and trade shows. These are beautifully made of bicycle wheels, sewing machine parts, plumbing hardware and other embellishments. They are displayed in glass or clear plastic cases with no obvious means for energy input. Observed by visitors daily, they slowly turn, day after day, without diminution of speed, over periods of a year or more, seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics. Sometimes a nice prize is offered to anyone who can puzzle out the precise secret of their operation. Jones once said that an analysis of the entries showed that many engineers thought that he really had discovered the secret of perpetual motion, while many physicists proposed methods of deception that couldn’t possibly work.” More at the Kircher Society… Link.
8 thoughts on “The Museum of Unworkable Devices”
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many engineers thought that he really had discovered the secret of perpetual motion, while many physicists proposed methods of deception that couldn’t possibly work. I don’t know who should be insulted most, engineers or physicists. As an engineer, I’ve had the opportunity to meet my share of crackpot engineers.
ITS JAMES LIPTON
that is one ugly suit lipton is wearing there.
my theory is the machines are powered by hamsters.
So, I am as skeptical as the next person regarding the possibility of perpetual motion, but the article DID me thinking. Are all of the electrons and other tiny things whizzing around each other in our universe, that apparently keep it (and us) all stuck together, going to eventually stop?
If anyone has a model that can predict the date of this apocalypse with precision I’d appreciate its publication. I have some stock I’d like to sell before that date…