The Overbalanced Wheel is an example of perpetual motion, the oldest attempt at a perpetual motion device in history. The oldest known description of on is from 8th century India- a wheel with vials of mercury arranged in such a way that as the wheel rotates, the mercury sloshes away from the center on one side, but towards it on the other.
Now these days we know that the perpetual motion is heavy and expensive, and dangerous. That’s why has been replaced with shifting mallets, but the principle it still operates the same. Perpetual motion describes motion that continues indefinitely without any external source of energy; impossible in practice because of friction.
For millennia, it was not clear whether perpetual motion devices were possible or not, but the development of modern theories of thermodynamics has indicated that they are impossible, despite this, many attempts have been made to construct such machines, continuing into modern times.
Now these days we know that the perpetual motion is heavy and expensive, and dangerous. That’s why has been replaced with shifting mallets, but the principle it still operates the same. Perpetual motion describes motion that continues indefinitely without any external source of energy; impossible in practice because of friction.
For millennia, it was not clear whether perpetual motion devices were possible or not, but the development of modern theories of thermodynamics has indicated that they are impossible, despite this, many attempts have been made to construct such machines, continuing into modern times.
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