Unlimited Energy: A Perfect Magnet-Powered Newton's Cradle in a Vacuum

  • Level: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter rollcast
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Machine
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
2 replies · 3K views
rollcast
Messages
403
Reaction score
0
If we imagine a newtowns cradle now change it to be like the one from xmen without the strings, I know this was cgi but let's imagine it was placed in a perfect vacuum and was operated with permanent magnets that won't degrade.

Would this reamain running forever after the inital energy input
 
Physics news on Phys.org

Discussion

rc1102 said:
If we imagine a newtowns cradle now change it to be like the one from xmen without the strings, I know this was cgi but let's imagine it was placed in a perfect vacuum and was operated with permanent magnets that won't degrade.

Would this reamain running forever after the inital energy input

When metallic objects move due to forces of a magnetic field, the metallic object also creates its own induced magnetic field (it's motion in the magnetic field induced a current that creates its own magnetic field - see Lenz's Law). This in turn will try to oppose its motion. So eventually, something like this will stop.

Zz.
 
Don't forget that the collisions between the balls in the Newton's cradle are not perfectly inelastic...so a little bit of energy is used up every time they collide.