this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Dumb follow up question. If there’s a way to reverse the direction the bed is being pushed, with gears or something, will that work? lol

[–] Peppycito 20 points 11 months ago

You need a catapult in the back to fling the magnet ahead of you, you get pulled forward, pick up the magnet and fling it again. This technology has existed since the '20s but Big Internal Combustion Engine is repressing the tech.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

No, because in the end, something needs to keep moving the magnet forward to keep the truck moving forward.

This thought processes is exactly how scammers on YouTube make perpetual motion seem possible, but by definition, the forces always have to cancel out.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Sure, but you'll need something to turn the gears.

Typically, we use a crank that converts a reciprocating motion into a rotation. Then we move a piston up and down by putting a little explosion at one end. Connect it to a tank of explosive fuel and badaboom, perpetual motion, as long as you have explosive fuel in the tank of course.