what exactly is perpetual motion, and has anyone found a way to sustain it yet?
542734
Meaning moving continually with no additional force needed to overcome frictional or other energy losses.\n\nNo.  It violates the laws of thermodynamics for some process to occur without an energy loss.  If you don't add energy to a system, eventually it will run out of energy.
627909
Kari Byron mentioned they tried the free-energy myth in one show, but i don't remember seeing that one. i need to be on that show when they revisit that myth, it will be great fun for me to confirm it for them!
1137048
Well it is certainly not a "perpetual motion" type of device. Magnets gradually lose their magnetism as their "disorder" increases. Their "disorder" increases when they contribute to "order" in ferrous objects in their proximity. Need to increase the "order" in your magnet? Wrap a coil around it and connect it to a DC source. Different materials will "retain" different amounts of residual magnetism ("order") after the power source is switched off. Natural magnets would have been exposed over centuries to small, but significant electrical stresses during their formation. They too would gradually lose it as their "disorder" increases. To answer your question - magnets owe it to electrical energy imprinted in ferrous memory.
887254
I believe you are mistaken, I could not find the fan you are talking about which does not require a battery.\n\nObtaining rotation from just a magnet alone is somewhat of the holy grail of 'free energy' enthuists! (Also can be regarded as a perpetual motion machine).\n\nPersonally, I do believe it is possible to obtain such a thing, but the magnets would de-gauss (de-magnetize) so its not really free energy...
1018473
Absolutely no condecention was stated or intended Elmbvann.  Unfortunately, you can not disclose your idea here for a meaningful evaluation without placing it in the public domain.   I understand that the US Patent Office will not accept applications for perpetual motion machines (because none have been shown to be scientifically feasible).  I do not and can not judge your idea.  Perhaps it has merit.  But again it can not defy science and physical laws.  It can not create energy but it can certainly collect, concentrate and utilize existing energy much as a lens can be used to burn a leaf.  I never worry about "best answer" since I hope that most even all answers will help the questioner.  When someone asks a good question I often do a little research because I want to know the answer too.  Best of luck with your idea.
284015
You cannot.  The law of conservation of energy states in lay language that energy can be neither created nor destroyed.  Therefore, getting more work out of a machine than is put into it is not possible.  In practical terms, even 100% efficiency, which would be getting an equal amount of work output, is not possible since some energy will always be lost due to forces such as friction.  Two terms describing the state where work output is greater than work input are "perpetual motion" and "free energy."  Unfortunately, neither one can exist.
478495
If someone does then they haven't told me.  As for self sustaining energy, the second law of thermodynamics forbids any such thing from existing.
850701
Cold fusion : http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2006/3/8/3099\n\nPerpetual motion:\nhttp://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2004/12/perpetual_motio.html\n\nMale performance enhancers:\nhttp://www.themediadesk.com/files/enhancements.htm
578064
dunno. But if you made a perpetual motion machine the testing would be a pain in the ass. I mean it would take forever. lol
957878
I wrote an article for Wikipedia that shows you how. It is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_calendars#Perpetual_calendar_formula
226793
If, as you put it, a ship could travel "forever" it would not "end" up anywhere simply because it would be traveling forever. Think about it!
722751
That's not renewable. You just demonstrated that perpetual motion is feasible! Hello Nobel! Can I get in on this?
525987
http://www.sri-hybrid.co.jp/en/damping/index.html\nto know about it too
579183
Yes. If there is no dampening the energy just keeps going back and forth between maximum potential energy (U) and maximum kinetic energy (K). If there is nothing opposing the restoring force it will remain in SHM (simple harmonic motion) and oscillate continuosly.
584363
The laws of physics say that an object in motoin will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.  It's hard to conceive of anything that would make Earth's core stop spinning short of some planet destroying catastrophe.
30599
The field of thermodynamics has defined that you can never get more energy out of a motor than it takes to run it.  It's called the law of the conservation of energy, and the efficiencies possible by engines have been identified by what is called the Carnot cycle.  You will always lose energy, due to the constant increase in "entropy" (a measure of useful work possible in a system) in all spontaneous processes.\n\nWhat you describe is a perpetual motion machine.  Due to the inefficiency of the motor, you will lose useable energy (ie there will be an increase in entropy) such that the motor wil slow down continually until it eventually comes to a stop.\n\nI had this same idea when I was a kid until my dad set me straight.  Then I was very sad.
73989
Newton tackled this question in his formulation of his first law of motion,saying that a body would moves continuouly unless slowed down by friction. In our local space machines move and because of fiction,will at some point stop.\n\nIn Universal space a celestial body will follow the same law\nand would continue its motion ;however, if there is friction in space and the it will eventually slow down.\n\nTherefore, according to Newton"s first law ,the Universe as a machine will eventually stop. We are forced to conclude that perpetual motion cannot be maintained.\n\nWe have to assume that Newtons is correct and this is what the scientist believe. However,no complete explanation in the main stream of science about the  exact cause of motion has been given.Human perception of the universe has its limits.