[Question] Is perpetual motion, free energy, or zero point energy possible?

Do you believe that perpetual motion, or zero point energy, or free energy, or similar possible?

  • No, I do not believe it is or ever will be possible.

    Votes: 15 53.6%
  • Yes, I believe that it is, or might possibly become, possible at some point in the future.

    Votes: 2 7.1%
  • Maybe. I don't believe in it, but I can't rule out that it might occur in the future.

    Votes: 9 32.1%
  • I don't know or care enough about it to make a judgement call.

    Votes: 2 7.1%

  • Total voters
    28
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Man, I'm a literate, moderately educated man, and everything you just said sounded like "Phlogiston unobtanium pure fuckin' magic."
In some very specific circumstances, where measurements routinely need negative powers in the dozens, there are sometimes bits and pieces where it isn't quite perfect. For all human intents and purposes, the laws hold true. Since we can't prove they're absolute fundamental truth, we can't assume it's impossible to come up with some new theory which might allow for some form of escape from the laws of thermodynamics. We don't - and can't - know what it'd look like, but a next Newton or Einstein might find something new and different enough, somehow, possibly.

And as far as I know, 1st-grade PPM were theoretically possibly in a frictionless vacuum. Too bad we don't have any of those, but hey.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
In some very specific circumstances, where measurements routinely need negative powers in the dozens, there are sometimes bits and pieces where it isn't quite perfect. For all human intents and purposes, the laws hold true. Since we can't prove they're absolute fundamental truth, we can't assume it's impossible to come up with some new theory which might allow for some form of escape from the laws of thermodynamics. We don't - and can't - know what it'd look like, but a next Newton or Einstein might find something new and different enough, somehow, possibly.

And as far as I know, 1st-grade PPM were theoretically possibly in a frictionless vacuum. Too bad we don't have any of those, but hey.
I just want to say "thank you" for using "all intents and purposes" correctly. Oh, and for the layman-friendly explanation of what necronic was trying to tell me. But mostly for not saying "all intensive purposes."
 

Necronic

Staff member
People actually say that? Wow that's one of the dumbest misuses of a word I've ever seen.

Irregardless of that, I think theres a lot we can do for improving our nation's energy security.
 
That statement is factually incorrect because there can be no infinitessimal quantity. And infinitessimal quantity of energy transfer is impossible. If it were possible you would have the Ultraviolet Catastrophe.
That said, even though it's factually wrong. It's still pretty much right. Does that make sense?
This sounds almost like the Physics equivalent of Zeno's paradox, where the math says it can't be done, but experimental evidence quickly refutes that.
Either that, or it's a Shrödinger's Cat situation, where once you get down that infinitessimally small, the rules change because the rules only apply to sufficiently large quantities of stuff.

--Patrick
 
Interesting theory. I would be surprised, however, if it worked. Further, the experiment they propose wouldn't completely validate the theory, just show that a portion of the theory might be correct, but the perpetual (requiring no outside energy) motion aspect is liable to be false.

Still a very interesting theory, and if even some portions of it prove true, then there will be some interesting applications for it, particularly in quantum computers.
 
The key point with that one though is that you can't extract energy from that system either. It may go on merrily forever, but we can't get energy from it. It does fit the bill for "perpetual motion" but not for "free energy" or anything like that.

Fascinating nonetheless. I hope they're right and they succeed, since then it pushes the boundaries of science by invalidating well-accepted theories. I still think that whenever a major theory is invalidated, it should be celebrated. It means there's more to learn.
 
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