West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1891-06-18
AN tM7ossleLE TASK.
The Reason why Perpetual Motion 10
Utterly Impracticabie.


The Reason Why Perpetual Motion To
Utterly ImPracticabie.
What Is n perpetual motion? As
yet IL Is but an idea--eo much viii be
admitted by the most enthusiastic nd
socate of its practicability. says the Me-
chanical News. The utmost claim Is
that, according physical law, It night
be; no one claims that II is or ever has
boon. But millions OF attempts, all
ending In failure. only create strong
presumption that the thing attempted
Is an impossibility. They do not pu. II
absolutely beyond doubt DO tho laws
OF nature make IL etcrnally impossi-
bic?
The evident answer Is that nature Is
herself a perpetual motion. The clouds
and the winds, the waves. tho flowing
streams and mighty currents of electric
nj and other forces arc in ceaseless
fiux and reflux. IL follows, therefore,
that any machine constantly played mp
on by any one of these perpetual
forces would maintain a perpetual mo-
tomas for instance q paddle wheel
moved by AN unfailing stream Of water
the motion continuing until the ma
tcrials wore out, which fills the con-
ditions of the problem. This much,
thew Is conceded: machine which
could receive continual accessions of
power from sources outside OF itself
that Is, from the inexhaustible store OF
natures dynamics--would be perpet4
ual motion.
But that Is not what the projectors
mean by their use of the phrase per
pctual motion" Their argument (if
such II may be called assumes the pos
sibility of a machine which itself gen.
crates the power that runs IL. In other
words, machine that creates power
that Is, machine that generates more
power than 1t cxpends-namely: power
enough to rcsupply the original power
and overcome friction besides. And
such machine Is, by the eternal law
OF physics, an eternal impossibility.
No matter how simple or how complex,
no matter how delicately adjusted or
how slight the friction, this ine:sorable
law remains-the force which. originally
moves the machine must generate
another force equal to itself for any
force less than that would not keep
the machine in motion) and some adj
ditional force to overcome the friction.
And the law Is the same, no matter
what device be adopted. Suppose 1t be
(ns in many attempts 1t has bcen) a
series of falling weights on one side
of a wheel, those weights must rise ex-
nctly as high on the other side of the
wheel, and, let the combination be what
II may, they must pass through rs many
rising curves ms falling curves-that Is,
as many units of movement against as
with gravitation---and the friction of
the wheel be overcome besides. Sup
pose 1t were possible to reduce friction
To n minimum of one unit in n machine
whose power was ten million units,
then the power of ten million would
have to generate ten million and one to
prevent a stoppage.
For further illustration, take the de-
vice OF Al horizontal wheel, the original
power applied at a point a on its cir
cumference: a moves around to its
original place, there an equal power
must be applied TO sead it around again
(for, OF course, whatever power sent IL
around once will be needed for each
| successive round), and whatever extra
power Is needed TO overcome the fric-
ton. Put the original power at one
hundred, then that one hundred power
must generate power equal to one
hundred plus friction. Alphabetically
stated, your problem is to make lOo--1oO
plus I. OF course might be reduced 10
a very small amount, and II is barely
conceivable that place might be found
where there is no f-but not on this
earth.
In perfect vacuum, assuming the
production of 1t to be possible, a top
would run n surprisingly long time,
there being no friction on the air; but it
must rest on something, and that means
friction. II top could be suspended in
mid air, with some attractive force
above 1t which exactly balanced gravi-
tation, and then set in motion In a per
feet vacuum, the thing might be ac-
complished; but such condition Is OBJ
viously impossible. On this earth there
Is no motion without friction, and where
Is friction perpetual motion IS an
eternal impossibility.