Difference between revisions of "Perpetual motion machine"
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A perpetual motion machine is a fictional isolated system capable of having internal motion indefinitely. Many attempts to build such a system have failed. | A perpetual motion machine is a fictional isolated system capable of having internal motion indefinitely. Many attempts to build such a system have failed. | ||
| − | + | One type of a perpetual motion machine would continue to perform work without new energy, thereby serving as an unlimited energy source. This is prohibited by the [[First Law of Thermodynamics]]. | |
| − | Those who deny that entropy is always increasing, even in closed (and isolated) systems, are left without a persuasive argument that perpetual motion | + | Another type of perpetual motion machine simply uses its initial energy to remain in motion perpetually. It is more difficult to prove that this is impossible, but it might violate the [[Second Law of Thermodynamics]]. If entropy is always increasing, even in closed (and isolated) systems, then indefinite motion is impossible because an increase in the disorder of the system will inevitably disrupt the motion. |
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| + | Those who deny that entropy is always increasing, even in closed (and isolated) systems, are left without a persuasive argument that the second type of perpetual motion machine described above is impossible. | ||
Revision as of 16:22, January 2, 2007
A perpetual motion machine is a fictional isolated system capable of having internal motion indefinitely. Many attempts to build such a system have failed.
One type of a perpetual motion machine would continue to perform work without new energy, thereby serving as an unlimited energy source. This is prohibited by the First Law of Thermodynamics.
Another type of perpetual motion machine simply uses its initial energy to remain in motion perpetually. It is more difficult to prove that this is impossible, but it might violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. If entropy is always increasing, even in closed (and isolated) systems, then indefinite motion is impossible because an increase in the disorder of the system will inevitably disrupt the motion.
Those who deny that entropy is always increasing, even in closed (and isolated) systems, are left without a persuasive argument that the second type of perpetual motion machine described above is impossible.