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Perpetual motion machines and "free energy" claims

Bhāskara IIJohann BesslerJohn Keely

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

Machines that run forever without outside energy, or give out more energy than they take in, have been designed and announced for centuries. Examples are the 12th-century wheel of the Indian mathematician Bhāskara and Bessler's 18th-century wheel. Similar claims continue today under the name "free energy". These claims directly contradict the laws of thermodynamics.

For specialists

A perpetual motion machine of the first kind violates conservation of energy; one of the second kind violates the second law by drawing continuous work from a single heat reservoir. In 1775 the Paris Academy of Sciences resolved not to examine such proposals. The US Patent Office requires a working model for such applications. Examinations of proposed devices have usually found an overlooked energy input (temperature differences, hidden batteries, mismeasured friction).

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Historical record

Bessler's wheel was reported to have turned for weeks in a sealed room under the supervision of the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1717; its interior was never disclosed.[1]

Challenging

Experiment

Joule's and later experiments showed a fixed conversion ratio between work and heat and that energy is conserved.[2]

Historical record

After Keely's death, examination of his "motor" was reported to have found compressed-air pipes hidden beneath the floor.[1]

Positions

US Patent and Trademark Office
For applications claiming perpetual motion, a working model may be required to show operability.[3]

Connections

Parent

Energy

Related

The laws of thermodynamics

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Sources

  1. BookOrd-Hume, A. W. J. G. (1977). Perpetual Motion: The History of an Obsession. George Allen & Unwin, London
  2. ArticleJoule, J. P. (1850). On the mechanical equivalent of heat. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 140, 61–82DOI 10.1098/rstl.1850.0004archive
  3. ReportUnited States Patent and Trademark OfficeManual of Patent Examining Procedure, §608.03 Models, Exhibits, Specimensuspto.govarchive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Perpetual motion machines and "free energy" claims. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/surekli-hareket/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_surekli_hareket,
  title        = {Perpetual motion machines and "free energy" claims},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/surekli-hareket/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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