Voodoo Science

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perpetual motion machine

Natural science has no axioms to grind. --Bob Carroll

"Dennis Lee has broken a lot of laws, but he hasn't broken the laws of thermodynamics." --Robert Park

A perpetual motion machine would be a free energy machine that uses its output to keep the machine running forever. There are no perpetual motion machines.

A perpetual motion machine would violate the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

The first law, also known as the law of the conservation of energy, asserts that the amount of energy is constant and can be neither created nor destroyed, though it can be changed from one form into another.

The second law, also known as the law of entropy, asserts that the amount of energy put into a system will always be more than the amount of energy the system puts out. Put another way, the entropy of an isolated system will tend to increase over time.

Even though free energy machines and perpetual motion machines do not exist, they can be patented both in the United States and in Canada. Neither country requires a working model of a machine as a condition for obtaining a patent. Thus, there is no requirement that the machine actually work.

See also Hutchison hoax.

further reading

books

Park, Robert L. Voodoo Science: the Road from Foolishness to Fraud (Oxford University Press, 2000).

Van Ness, H. C. Understanding Thermodynamics. (1983). Dover Publications.

websites

The Laws of Nature - A Skeptic's Guide. (2000). Zoran Pazameta. Skeptical Inquirer. September/October.

PhACT-FAQ on Heat Based Free Energy Prepared by Tom Napier

Zero-point energy

Better World Technologies and United Community Services of America (Dennis Lee)

Entropy Systems (Alex Chiu)

Eric Krieg's Page examining the amazing claims of Dennis Lee and Better World Technology