Why don't perpetual motion machines ever work? - Netta Schramm

Perpetual motion machines — devices that can do work indefinitely without any external energy source — have captured many inventors’ imaginations because they could totally transform our relationship with energy. There’s just one problem: they don’t work. Why not? Netta Schramm describes the pitfalls of perpetual motion machines.

Lesson by Netta Schramm, animation by TED-Ed.

[iambatman]

Why don't we just get rid of these laws of thermodynamics, seems like a simple solution.

[mclovin]

Damn, the devs didn’t leave any bugs or glitches in this game.

[blue-]

The real perpetual motion machine was the journey we made along the way.

[ahGna]

another (and simpler) way to look at the overbalanced wheel is that while those weights that stick out should be turning the wheel, there's also fewer of them than of the weights on the other side that don't stick out

[sleepyysleep]

Humans: *gets idea that sounds reasonable and easy to make*

Physics: lol no

[jibifufu]

Me trying to charge my power bank with itself

[samuraiMOURS]

1:32 First Law
3:56 Second Law
4:25 Mix of First Law and Second Law (Not Third Law)

[kylew]

I've been asking myself this forever. It never ends.

[JackSmith]

"The only perpetual thing is our never-ending search"
So the perpetual motion machine... was inside us all along?

[chanralewis]

Lol it worked before it got patched in universe v0.013

[timothybradek]

What... ? Here I am at 70 f__ yrs old and never really knew that! Their art, design and engineering is truly jaw dropping.

[Aerational]

I feel like this is one of those things humanity really shouldn't give up on.

[prashantsamaiya]

"There is just one problem:
THEY DON'T WORK."
such a small problem.

[sunbleachedangel]

A few other things:
1) If a closed system could produce more energy than it consumes, then it would just infinitely accelerate until it.. explodes or something?
2) There is no way to actually prove that a machine would never stop, the same as there is no way to check beforehand if a computer program would loop forever or stop at some point (Tom Scott made a very good video about that)

[zboy]

Love how to the point these videos are

[nut]

*“in this house we follow the laws of thermodynamics!”*

[alexniggins]

Humans: Why don't perpetual motion machines ever work?

Friction: *Laughs in Heat*

[jackhepworth]

well said, i enjoyed every moment of this video!

[paultaylor]

Back to the Laws of Thermodynamics, beloved of my time in the early to mid 1970s, studying Applied Chemistry at Uni. It's so long ago, at the start of the article here, I could only remember the First Law, and the narrative reminded me of the Second aw. If there are any others (I'm honestly not sure), I'll have to look them up.

[whiiffed]

Law #1: You can't get out more energy than you put in

Law #2: *No*