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Rotating Magnetic Device Wins 'Perpetual Motion' Contest - MIT News

Two MIT students won $250 each for designing a magnetic levitation device for a perpetual motion contest. Their design involved a magnetically levitated metal bar rotating in a vacuum-sealed glass container due to interacting magnetic forces. While not truly perpetual due to friction, they argued it would lose negligible energy. The contest aimed to get students to creatively challenge physics laws.

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199 views2 pages

Rotating Magnetic Device Wins 'Perpetual Motion' Contest - MIT News

Two MIT students won $250 each for designing a magnetic levitation device for a perpetual motion contest. Their design involved a magnetically levitated metal bar rotating in a vacuum-sealed glass container due to interacting magnetic forces. While not truly perpetual due to friction, they argued it would lose negligible energy. The contest aimed to get students to creatively challenge physics laws.

Uploaded by

zcrack
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rotatingmagneticdevicewin'perpetualmotion'

contet
DeorahHaler,NewOffice
Ma19,1999

JuniorGauravTewariandophomoreJohnMceanwalkedawawith$250eachinprize
moneeterdaafternoonfromtheConcoureprogram'annualPerpetualMotioncontet.

Fortheecondtime,theConcoureprogramoffereda$500awardtotheetumiion
anMITundergraduateforaperpetualmotionmachinethatincorporateelectricalormagnetic
field.tudenthadtoumitawrittenpropoalwrittenclearlenoughtoeundertood
firt-earMITtudent.

Mr.Tewari,anelectricalengineeringandcomputerciencemajor,andMr.Mcean,a
mechanicalengineeringmajor,deignedamachinethatinvolveamagneticalllevitated,flat
rectangulararrotatinginavacuum-ealedglacontainer.

Apotontheottomoftheglachamerprotrudethroughaholeinthecenterofthear
andkeepitpoitionedcorrectl.Thearwilltaupendedandrotatinginahorizontal
planeecaueoftheinteractingforceoftwomagnetatitendandfourmagnetattached
tothewallofthechamer,allwiththeamepolefacinginide.Alo,amagnetattheaeof
theglachamerrepelthemagneticunderideoftherotatingarandhelpitlevitate.

Whilethetwoathattheirdeigndoenotreloncompleteeliminationoffriction(thenear-
impoileneceitforatrueperpetualmotionmachine),theelievetheirideaofettingan
ojectinmotioninanearlfriction-freeenvironmenthould"guaranteezerodiipationof
energ"andthereforeperpetualmotion.

Concoureiapecialunifiedprogramforfirt-eartudentthatcovertheentirecore
curriculum,offeringtheadvantageofamallchoolwithoutgivingupthecharacterand
reourceofMIT.

Thecontetumiionwerejudgedtudentandfacult,whoratedeachpropoal
accordingtotheirinailittorefuteit.

"Ueoflackhole,patialingu-laritieormagneticmonopoleareexprelforidden.The
motionmutetrulperpetualandmutnotrelon'natural'energourceuchawindor
tidalorplanetarmotion.Inotherword,ouareinvitedtoviolateacceptedfundamentallaw
inthemotconvincingwapoile,"theintructiontate.

RoertM.Roe,profeorofmaterialcienceandengineering,aidthatthecontetinotan
exercieinfutilit,utagreatteachingvehicle.tudentinapecialConcourecla,
ProleminlectricitandMagnetim,ometime"invented"perpetualmotionmachineor
eeminglunlimitedupplieofenerg.

nuingdicuionledtopiritedargument,analiand,accordingtoProfeorRoe,"a
muchdeeperundertandingoffrehmanphic...Thenitoccurredtouthatwehould
extendthichallengetotheMITcommunitatlarge.Theprolempreentedaremeantto
tretchthetudent'mindandgivethemaetterintuitivefeelforphic."

Averionofthi
articleappearedinthe
Ma19,1999

iueofMITTechTalk(Volume
43,Numer
31).

Topic: Innovationandntrepreneurhip(I&) Phic

Contetandacademiccompetition

AoutThiWeite
ThiWeiteimaintainedtheMITNewOffice,partoftheOfficeofCommunication.

MITNewOfficeuilding11-400
MaachuettIntituteofTechnologCamridge,MA02139-4307

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