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That part got me as well. Sure it isn't technically perpetual motion but I wonder if maybe it could be considered "near perpetual" or "relatively perpetual" fro

That part got me as well. Sure it isn't technically perpetual motion but I wonder if maybe it could be considered "near perpetual" or "relatively perpetual" from a selfish human point of view. So if motion lasts longer than your lifetime, doesn't it seem like perpetual motion to you? Personally, when I think of perpetual motion, the first thing that comes to mind is using it to power a generator. In that context, if something could produce electricity for decades without being refueled or even attended to, aren't we moving toward and/or operating with a realm that feels like perpetual motion--even if it is only from our self centered point of view? Granted, this is sort of like if someone is in your field of view and then steps behind a tree that obscures your view of them, you can say they are invisible to you. Though it isn't exactly true to say they have gained the power of invisibility, you labeling them as being invisible is a self centered and relative statement. So as self centered humans, from our point of view any motion which lasts years or even decades--and could be harnessed--could seem sort "effectively perpetual" to us, even though it is nowhere near actually perpetual. (Yes, this theory ignores that fact that that generator's output would indeed be ridiculously low, probably close to unmeasurable--the important part is that if we have motion, we assume we can generate electricity. And yes, even if you could make this happen, it may take thousands or even millions of these together just to power an LED. I was probably prompted of this thought because of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hwLHdBTQ7s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hwLHdBTQ7s)

saalweachter 12y ago
I think there's a lot of illusion here because not only is the energy being consumed at a terribly slow pace, you also can't "see" it being consumed. If you could watch the battery run down, and see that it was now only "half full" (or whatever fraction of the charge currently remains) as opposed to a hundred years ago, it would be less magical. For a similarly long-running process, consider underground coal fires. If a seam of coal is burning, it may take hundreds of years to burn itself out, comparable to the lifetime of the ringing bell. But because it is consuming its fuel in a much more obvious fashion, it's less magical.

saalweachter 12y ago

I think there's a lot of illusion here because not only is the energy being consumed at a terribly slow pace, you also can't "see" it being consumed. If you could watch the battery run down, and see that it was now only "half full" (or whatever fraction of the charge currently remains) as opposed to a hundred years ago, it would be less magical. For a similarly long-running process, consider underground coal fires. If a seam of coal is burning, it may take hundreds of years to burn itself out, comparable to the lifetime of the ringing bell. But because it is consuming its fuel in a much more obvious fashion, it's less magical.