Free Energy is a Myth
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07. 6.07
Designs for perpetual motion machines have cropped up pretty regularly for hundreds of years. The thing is, it's impossible to get more energy out then you put in. In fact, it's almost impossible to get out the same as you put in. It's a shame, because powering the entire world without generating a single atom of pollution would be, well, quite handy.
An Irish company called Steorn has been claiming for a while that they have cracked it with their Orbo device. This quote from their website makes some bold claims, "Orbo produces free, clean and constant energy - that is our claim. By free we mean that the energy produced is done so without recourse to external source. By clean we mean that during operation the technology produces no emissions. By constant we mean that with the exception of mechanical failure the technology will continue to operate indefinitely."
The company was so confident that their machine was the real deal, that they organized a demonstration in the Kinetica Musuem in London. However, there was a problem. Apparently the machine doesn't work well under bright camera lights. This has led some at TreeHugger to suggest that the device must be susceptible to a new version of the uncertainty principle - it only works if the press isn't watching.
Sean McCarthy CEO stated that “technical problems arose during the installation of the demonstration unit in the display case on Wednesday evening. These problems were primarily due to excessive heat from the lighting in the main display area. Attempts to replace those parts affected by the heat led to further failures and as a result we have to postpone the public demonstration until a future date.”
I guess we'll just have to keep working on solar, wind and other forms of clean energy... ::Gizmodo
I'm reminded of Mulder's poster in the X-files:
"I Want to Believe"
If only it were possible, it would be a pretty handy device.
Lisa Simpson "Look, I've created a perpetual motion machine"
Homer Simpson "Lisa! In this house we obey the law of thermodynamics!"
Electrons continually encircle the nucleus of an atom without stopping. Is this perpetual motion? Planetary motion is also continuous.
We all know it is impossible to get something out of nothing but the fact remains that a device might be able to convert one form of energy into another.
Some devices are easy to examine such as ICM (internal combustion motors). Chemical energy of gasoline is converted into mechanical energy of motion.
However, we presently do not have the facilities to examine energy at the quantum level carefully. It is believed that empty space is really not so empty as proved by the Casimir effect.
Our ignorance of very high frequency wave lengths is no excuse for us to say that there is no interaction of very short electromagnetic wavelengths with nuclear particles; in fact, there are certain reactions with particles changing in identity that imply that something must be happening between particles at the quantum level and high frequency (unmeasurable) energy, contained in the space surrounding those particles.
We are like cave men looking at the wind. Cave men could feel the wind, could make use of the wind (sailing boats) but did not understand what caused the wind or that the wind was made up of molecules of gas. We look down upon their intellectual abilities. Yet, we are those same cave men when it comes to understanding quantum exchanges of energy. However, we are usually too proud and haughty to admit our ignorance.
adrianakau2aol.com
I live in Dublin where these guys are from. They're reputable engineers, and I can't see how they would risk their reputation unless they were convinced they had something unique. They have after all invited a team of scientists to test their claims - hardly the method of charlatans.
Of course the world is right to be sceptical, and a lot of people including myself are disappointed that the demo in London was a flop. But I'm happy to wait for the scientific verdict in September. As they say, it ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Newton, forgive me . . .
–Albert Einstein, Autobiographical Notes
I'm always amazed that so many peoples don't know anything about free energy and it's history, except that the common belief is that "it is impossible". And if you talk about it you're a wierdo with no credential.
It does not take a lot of time to do a simple search on free energy and it's history. Or just searching about Tesla, who was the first one to realy implement fully functional free energy devices... in 1920 !!!!
Matthew, you should have read, at lease, a litle bit about the subject before writing this aricle. A simple search about free energy on google before does not hurt (specialy about Steorn) !!!
And for those who are not close-minded to the idea, just read the biography of Nikola Tesla (available here http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jul/teslaautobio.html) Your point of view about free energy will change radically...
"In this house we obey the Laws of Thermodynamics!" -Homer Simpson
Wanting to believe is just as dumb. It defies physics
Well, since "free energy" is a myth, then I can't think of a more fitting solution to the Global Warming "crisis".
It's always risky to write about things like this, because people talk at cross-purposes.
Yes, machines can be created that extract energy from phenomena that can't be detected with the naked eye. Whilst these appear to be free-energy machines, they are just converting one form of energy into another - not hard, or revolutionary.
You cannot create a machine that 'creates' energy from nothing. Mass can be turned into energy, and other forms of energy can be converted.
Phillip, I do agree with you though - the fact that some respected people are on board is interesting, but I don't believe that it makes this machine any more likely to work as claimed.
WithLoveFromCanada; if Tesla invented a free-energy machine, then why do we have nuclear, coal, gas, solar, wind and hydro-electric power stations?
I am by no means a physicist but how can someone say perpetual motion is impossible?
Isn't the earth continuously rotating because of magnetism of its poles?
Lets say you take a meteorite the size of a small country from space and deposit it on earth. The earth will not stop rotating even if there is more energy needed to rotate.
What can we call this if perpetual motion is impossible?
I dunno, maybe i'm old fashion, but I'm still a bit of fan of the Laws of Thermodynamics.
And for the record, the Earth spinning isn't an example of perpetual motion, its an example of conservation of angular momentum and isn't caused by the magnetism at poles. It is a result of the inital spin from the cloud of dust that condensed to form the earth. The addition of your asteroid will affect the rate of rotation of the earth and slow it down.
Even if it's possible....what would we do with all this free energy?
I mean we have it already, it's called Coal + Oil.
And it's allowed us to advance to the point where you can watch Jerry Springer on your own 50" Plasma screen!! That's progress.