Looking around on the web today I came across these nifty diagrams of old fashioned Perpetual Motion Machines. Courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/perpetual motion. This gives us a historical perspective on Magnetic Generators and perpetual motion machines.
Over Balanced Wheel
The Over Balanced Wheel.
It was thought that the metal balls on the right side would turn the wheel because of the longer lever arm, but since the left side had more balls than the right side, the torque was balanced and the perpetual movement could not be achieved.
The Capillary Bowl
The Capillary Bowl.
It was thought that the capillary action would keep the water flowing in the tube, but since the cohesion force that draws the liquid up the tube in the first place holds the droplet from releasing into the bowl, the flow is not perpetual.
The Float Belt
The Float Belt.
The yellow blocks indicate floaters. It was thought that the floaters would rise through the liquid and turn the belt. However pushing the floaters into the water at the bottom would require more energy than the floating could generate.
Perpetual Motion Machines: no longer a pipe dream
