It turns out that some laws were definitely not meant to be broken! A short illustrative video explains why the first and second laws of thermodynamics prevent perpetual motion machines from actually moving perpetually — and why scientists are still trying to find a way to make them work.

Concepts

motion, windmills, energy, energy sources, laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamics, energy in, energy out, mechanical engineering, friction

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Include as a warm-up activity in a physics class when discussing the laws of thermodynamics
• Have learners study or build real-life perpetual motion machines and see if they run into the same problems described in the video

Classroom Considerations

• Best used with some prior knowledge of energy sources

Pros

• Takes a complex subject and explains it for learners of all levels
• Employs examples of ways that successful perpetual motion could change modern energy consumption

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.9-10.2 RST.9-10.8 RST.11-12.2 RST.11-12.8