Is Free Energy Possible?

Is perpetual motion possible? Is free unlimited energy possible? For many years scientists and backyard inventors have persued the idea of 'free energy'. They dream of a machine that spins forever in perpetual motion, creating energy as it turns. While in theory it is possible to achieve perpetual motion (a machine that spins forever) it is EXTREMELY difficult. If you try to take energy out of such a machine the concept then becomes impossible, and here's why.

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Our universe is governed by certain physical laws and forces. Understanding the laws of the universe has given rise to the breakthroughs and possibilities we see before us today. Some you may know better than others, such as the law of gravity. The law I would like to talk about is the law of the conservation of energy. This law states that energy can be transformed into various types, such as kinetic (movement), heat, sound etc. Yet it also states that energy can niether be created nor destroyed. In other words, the energy put into a system, is always greater than or equal to the energy taken out of that system.

Imagine if we had a spinning wheel, which in theory spins forever. All the energy in the wheel is kinetic, which causes the wheel to spin. If we attach an alternator to take energy out of the system then the wheel would lose kinetic energy. This would cause the wheel to slow down and eventually stop. Thus we don't have 'free energy'.

As I mentioned earlier it is theoretically possible to create perpetual motion (a wheel that forever spins) and I also stated it is extremely difficult. This is because the system cannot afford to lose even the smallest amount of energy or the wheel would start to slow down. This means all frictional forces must be eliminated and no energy can be lost as sound or heat. This happens because we are taking energy out of the system.

Some people have claimed to have achieved this type of motion yet no one has proved it thus far. It has taken over the lives of many inventors and drove them insane. Yet if they did their physics homework they could have seen it is impossible from the start. Although it is a difficult practice I find it very interesting and lots of ideas have been raised around the subject. If you are intrigued visit this list of 'unworkable machines'.