Perpetual Motion

by Percy Verance; Henry Dircks

The following is a verbatim copy of an article published in an English scientific magazine in 1829:

"Notice to Perpetual Motion Seekers."—The following is a literal copy of a communication which we have received under this head. We publish it for the benefit of all concerned: "Perpetual Motion Seekers! see Coloss., ch. ii., v. 8—'Beware lest any man spoil you, through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.' Ye are making the words of God of none effect by your traditions in publishing these things to the world. How can such toys and baubles as these be perpetual? See Malachi, ch. iv., v. 1—'For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble.' Here is the end of them. I, the undersigned, have to inform the public, the model for making perpetual motion is to be found in that too much neglected book of models, the Bible. I called upon the Lord, and he showed it to me. I said, 'Lord, shall I show this unto them? This was the answer to me: See Isaiah, ch. xli., v. 29—'Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing.' I said, 'Lord, be pleased to show me some more about it.' 'Bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.'—Isaiah, ch. xli., v. 21. This was the answer: See Isaiah, ch. xli., v. 14—'Fear not, thou worm Jacob. * * Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff.' See also Jeremiah, ch. vii., v. 9—'The wise men are ashamed; they are dismayed and taken,' etc. See also Jeremiah, ch. ix., v. 12—'Who is the wise man that may understand this?' If there is not a wise and learned man who can show this, there is a deaf and unlearned man that will, by the blessing of God, set it forth to you. I am that deaf and unlearned man, George Lovatt, Stafford.

"P. S.—Mr. Editor: I have told you what I was commanded to do. See Ezekiel, ch. iii., v. 4 to the end. Now, see thou forget it not; let those models which come from the Word of God have the first place.—Joshua, ch. xxiv., v. 15."

John Bernoulli's Dissertation on Perpetual Motion

John Bernoulli was born in 1667, and died in 1748. He belonged to the famous Belgian family bearing the name. His family seems to have been peculiarly prolific in men of great genius for mathematics and science. Almost any encyclopedia with any pretense for thoroughness will mention and give the sketch of the life of from five to nine members of the Bernoulli family.

John Bernoulli possessed perhaps the greatest genius of any bearing the name for pure mathematics and pure mechanics. He was a contemporary of such men as Leibnitz, Euler and Newton, a co-laborer with the two former, but never conceded the merits of Newton. He was of a peculiar disposition, of intense likes and dislikes and among his peculiarities it may be mentioned that he harbored an unreasonable hatred toward a worthy and deserving son.

In 1742 he wrote a work entitled "Dissertation on Effervescence and Fermentation." To this work he added an appendix entitled "Concerning Artificial Perpetual Motion." The appendix translated into English and as published by Dircks, is as follows:

Scarcely had I finished this dissertation, when, attentively considering the nature of precipitation and secretion, briefly explained in the last pages, there accidentally occurred to me a mode of constructing, by means of some continually flowing liquid, the much-talked of and long-desired Perpetual Artificial Motion; and this as a completion to my work, on account of the affinity of the subject, I now propose for the consideration of the learned.

No one need be told how eagerly for a length of time this same Perpetual Motion has been sought after by the most celebrated men, how ardently desired; what indeed have they not contrived? To what expense have they not gone? How many machines have they not constructed? But all in vain.

The secret desire of this Perpetual Motion still perplexes and torments many, and excites their minds to such a degree that we see the ears and minds of learned men carried away by it; yet many philosophers reject the idea, unanimously asserting that Perpetual Motion cannot be communicated and cannot be invented; which opinion is nevertheless not of any weight, seeing that they rashly judge that no one should be listened to who boasts of having found out such a thing; and their reasons (as I confess) do not suffice to convince me; for I do not hesitate to assert not only that Perpetual Motion may be discovered, but that it has now actually been discovered, as will be confessed by any one who reads these lines; and what is this labor to many? does not Nature herself (who is never said not to operate by mechanical laws) indicate Perpetual Motion to be possible? To recall but one instance, what is the constant flux and reflux of the rivers and seas but Perpetual Motion? Does it not all belong to Mechanics? Therefore, you must confess that it does not exceed the limits of mechanical laws, and is not impossible; what then hinders that following Nature in this, we should be able perfectly to imitate her? as indeed I shall so conclude, by declaring to these the possibility of Perpetual Motion and the manner of obtaining it; and lest thou come to an adverse conclusion, or regard it as a Titanic enterprise, I pray that thou mayest first well weigh the thing, or, if it so please thee, put its truth to the test of experience.

First of all the following must be premised:

1. If there are two fluids of different density, the weights of which respectively are in the ratio G to L; the altitudes of cylinders of equal weight, and having the same base, will be in the ratio L to G.

2. Therefore, if the altitude A C of one fluid contained in the vessel A D to be the altitude E F of the other fluid contained in an open tube, as L to D; the fluids so placed will remain at rest.

3. Therefore, if A C to E F be in a greater ratio than L to G, the fluid in the tube will ascend; or if the tube be not sufficiently long, the fluid will escape by the orifice E. (These are proved by Hydrostatics.)

4. It is possible to have two fluids of different gravity, which are capable of being mixed one with the other.

5. It is possible to have a filter, strainer or other separator, by means of which the lighter fluid may be separated from the heavier.

Construction

These being pre-supposed, I construct Perpetual Motion in the following manner:

Let two fluids of different gravity and capable of mixing together (which is possible by Hyp. 4) be taken in any quantities, in equal quantities, if desired; let the ratios of their gravities be first determined, which suppose as G to L, the heavier to the lighter; and being mixed, let a vessel, A D, be filled to A.

This having been done, let a tube be taken, open at both ends E F; and of such a length that A C : E F > 2 L : G + L; and the orifice F stopped, or rather filled with a filter or some substance separating the lighter fluid from the heavier (as is possible also by Hyp. 5); when the tube filled in this manner with fluid is immersed to the bottom of the vessel C D; I say that the fluid will continually ascend by the orifice of the tube F, and by the orifice E will fall into the fluid below.

Demonstration

Because the orifice of the tube F is occupied by a filter (by Constr.) which separates the lighter fluid from the heavier; it follows, that if the tube be immersed to the bottom of the vessel, the fluid lighter by itself, which is mixed with the heavier fluid, must ascend in the tube, and as it will ascend above the surface of the surrounding fluid as A C : E F = 2 L : G + L : which is (by Const.) A C : E F > 2 L : G + L, it necessarily follows (by Hyp. 3) that the lighter liquid, through the orifice E, will fall in the vessel below; there it again mixes with the heavier (by Hyp. 4); and then, penetrating the filter, ascends again into the tube, and escapes by the upper orifice. So, therefore, the flow is continued perpetually.—Q. E. D.

Corollary

Hence a reason may easily be given, why water from the depths of the ocean, ascending into the summits of the mountains, bursts from them in the form of rivers and flows again into the ocean; so does Nature offer to us the spectacle of perpetual motion.

Hence I say, they do not well explain who allege that the water ascends to these heights through the pores of the earth, as a fluid ascends in narrow tubes above the surface of the fluid surrounding; for if such were the explanation of the thing, they would never be able to demonstrate it; for the water so raised to a height from the bosom of the earth, falls again, whereas we see that the fluid in these narrow tubes, although slightly elevated above the surrounding surface, never issues from their orifices and falls into the fluid below. The following is then the more feasible explanation. It is known that water in which much salt is held in solution is heavier than fresh water; now sea-water, as is sufficiently evident from the taste, contains many saline particles; consequently it is heavier than spring or river water; so that it is credible that the earth acts like a filter through the pores of which only fresh water can pass, the saline particles being left behind, and this increases the weight of the water; the fresh water must ascend much higher on account of the immense profundity of the ocean, as it is forced to the highest peaks of the mountains by the presence of the sea-water; and thence, not being able to ascend any higher, it falls in rivers.

P. Christopher Scheiner

That an earnest belief in the possibility of Perpetual Motion has not been confined entirely to scientific tyros and enthusiastic dreamers, is sufficiently attested by the fact that a respectable number of eminent scientists, many of whom had done great service in their scientific labors, have believed in such possibility.

Among these is to be mentioned P. Christopher Scheiner, a German, born 1575, and died 1650. He was a mechanic of note; in his day made valuable additions to what was known of light and optics, invented the Pantagraph, discovered solar spots, besides benefiting mankind by many other distinguished fruits of his genius.