| abstract | - In a nutshell, Newton's laws are: 1. Objects at rest stay at rest and objects in motion stay in motion with the same speed and direction, unless the object is acted upon by a force. 2. Force = Mass * Acceleration 3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Perpetual Motion is loosely defined as "getting as much energy out of a system as you put in". Of course, the ultimate Perpetual Motion machine gives you MORE energy than you put in. A Perpetual Motion machine would solve the world's energy problems forever (if one existed). Newton's third law does specify an EQUAL reaction. However much energy you put into a system, exactly that much energy must come out. Unfortunately, you have to account for everything in the equation and part of everything is friction. You can't escape friction. Even in the darkest recesses of intergalactic space, there are a minimal number of particles that will eventually slow you down. No energy conversion process can give you 100% of the output you want. There is always some energy that is lost to friction or other waste factor. For example, suppose you want to convert all of the energy in your swinging bat into flying baseball. Unfortunately, as you swing your bat, you meet air resistance. A tiny bit of the energy is lost to moving and warming the surrounding air. When the bat strikes the ball, you can hear a loud "crack" sound. Some of the bat energy is lost to sound waves traveling into the stands. After the bat hits, it never stops in midair, it keeps swinging (albeit much slower now). None of the energy remaining in the swinging bat can go into the ball; it is all wasted. Mathematically, Action = Opposite_Reaction Bat_Energy = Ball_Energy + Waste_Energy Generally, for all known machines, Input_Energy = Output_Energy + Waste_Energy If there were no waste, you could have perpetual motion.
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