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Perpetual Motion Machines

CONTENTS

This guide to the analysis of perpetual motion machines is intended
to be of interest to first year students in the physical sciences.

Written for Netscape 2.0 in 1995, it has received one minor revision (1998)
(hence the ancient html style) but has not been maintained since.
I've been asked to keep it online although many links are broken..

It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a fool,
But what he does know that ain't so. - Josh Billings

  Will I be able to follow this if I don't know any physics?

This website looks less abysmal in Netscape.

Contents

1. A Brief History of Perpetual Motion Machines (PMMs)
2. The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics
   1. The First Law of Thermodynamics
   2. The Second Law of Thermodynamics
   3. Relativistic Complications
   4. Quantum Mechanical Qualifications
3. Definition of Perpetual Motion
   1. What Perpetual Motion is Not
   2. PMMs of the First Kind
   3. PMMs of the Second Kind
   4. PMMs of the Third Kind
4. The "Rules of Design" of PMMs
   1. Relaxed Restrictions on Normal Physical Properties of Materials
   2. No Hitherto Unobserved Properties May Be Assigned to Materials
   3. All Relevant Design Details Must Be Specifically Stated
5. The "Rules of Analysis" of PMMs
   1. Friction and Drag are Not a Problem
   2. Appeals to the Laws of Thermodynamics are Not Permitted
6. Some classes of PMMs
   1. PMMs Based on the Principles of Classical Mechanics
   2. PMMs Based on the Principles of Classical Thermodynamics
   3. PMMs Based on Electromagnetic Theory
   4. PMMs Based on the Principles of Special Relativity
   5. PMMs Based on the Principles of Quantum Mechanics
   6. PMMs Based on "Other" Effects
7. Current Activity in the Search for PMMs
8. Links to Sites Discussing PMMs
9. Print References
10. PMM FAQ

Several irrational people

have visited this website.

RWoods@bcit.ca Jan. 30, 1998.