Science Forums 2

[Freethinker]

Hi Thoughts, welcome to our community. I hope you will share more of your thoughts with us.

Let me see if I can help evaluate your idea here.

Originally posted by: thoughts
...Then set the ball rolling on the track. It would roll to a side and tilt it slightly then the magnetic force would try to push the disk back in balance giving the ball a little push then it rolls to the other side and repeats.

First, as Unc has mentioned, in terms of "perpetual" magnets are temporary storage devices. They consist of materials in which the magnetic domains of the molecules are aligned. The magnetic domains of these molecules will tend to "un-align" themselves over time.

But the biggest problem I see is with the assumption that the balance between the weight of the ball and the strength of the magnets is variable.

If the ball is heavier than the magentic repulsion, then it will push the disk below the level balance point on one side and the ball will find a point of rest.

If the weight of the ball is less than the magnetic repulsion then the disk will not drop below level and the ball will circle until it loses momentum to friction.

Your design would be the same if springs replaced the magnets. The interaction would be identical.

What you are hoping for is a system that will give a "kick" to the ball's momentum by allowing a greater deformation of the system's balance (drop below level) than the ball can achieve itself and/ or the magnets will provide more after the fact repulsive force than initial repulsive force.

At best your system will work like any resonant system. With a good ratio between the ball's mass and the magnetic system's strength you will create an oscillation for the system which will allow for efficient motion of the system. But as with any resonant system, internal resistances (friction the ball and disc encounters ...) will slowely wind the system down. And an external energy source will be required occasionally to replace the lost energy.

These exercises are fun and always good mental exercise.

Thanks.