Perpetual motion

<p>Perpetual motion is the motion of bodies that continues forever in an unperturbed system. A perpetual motion machine is a hypothetical machine that can do work indefinitely without an external <a href="/facts/Energy/wd8PrQM7">energy</a> source. This kind of machine is impossible, since its existence would violate the <a href="/facts/First_law_of_thermodynamics/hjL95WCr">first</a> and/or <a href="/facts/Second_law_of_thermodynamics/m7SJ2eeH">second</a> laws of thermodynamics. These <a href="/facts/Laws_of_thermodynamics/ohfElNfe">laws of thermodynamics</a> apply regardless of the size of the system. Thus, machines that extract energy from finite sources cannot operate indefinitely because they are driven by the energy stored in the source, which will eventually be exhausted. A common example is devices powered by ocean currents, whose energy is ultimately derived from the Sun, which itself will eventually <a href="/facts/End_of_the_Sun/CadPCVHh">burn out</a>.
</p><p>In 2016, new states of matter, <a href="/facts/Time_crystal/A5mq9AwN">time crystals</a>, were discovered in which, on a microscopic scale, the component atoms are in continual repetitive motion, thus satisfying the literal definition of "perpetual motion". However, these do not constitute perpetual motion machines in the traditional sense, or violate thermodynamic laws, because they are in their quantum <a href="/facts/Ground_state/ML7cfCug">ground state</a>, so no energy can be extracted from them; they exhibit motion without energy.
</p>

Perpetual motion open-in-new

Perpetual motion