Perpetual Motion Machines Over the centuries scientists and thinkers have wondered about the possibility of creating a perpetual motion machine. Is it possible to build a machine that wuly runs forever? Can a machine actually produce more work output than its work input? Scientists are skeptical about proposals for perpetual motion machines because they violate a basic law of physics. The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy output of'a machine can never exceed its total input. All plans to date for perpetual motion machines have not been able to avoid losing some m input energy to heat waste. When machine parts move, they rub, and friction is just one of many forces which depletes the machine of its input energy. ‘The perpetual motion machine at the top shows an overbalanced wheel. The balls that are descending are farther from the center and thereby exert more energy. The descending balls push the ascending balls up until they reach the top and fall again. The process is repeated endlessly. In fact, the machine does not work because there are more ascending balls than descending ones. The force of gravity eventually stops the process. The picture at the bottom shows another perpetual motion machine. This one uses a magnet to draw a metal ball up the ramp. The ball falls through the hole, rolls down the slide, comes out the bottom hole, and is drawn up again by the magnet. Of course, there is a ie aoe flaw in this perpetual motion machine. Can you figure © 1988 World Book, Inc. out what it is? Think about the force of the magnetism needed to pull the metal ball. 4. What is a perpetual motion machine? 2. Why do scientist believe that a perpetual motion machine is impossible to create? 3. What is the flaw in the plan for the perpetual motion machine involving the use of a magnet to pull the metal ball up the ramp?