mikehanson

. Does this mean Newton’s Third Law is false and not true? Does this mean Newton’s Third Law is a “Principle” (generally true) rather than a “Law” (always true)? ? .

. Think about this. What if instead of an electromagnet and a permanent magnet, what if we had two electromagnets? And say they are both switched on at the same time. (I know that “simultaneous events at a distance” can be problematic to verify, but in a thought experiment we can stipulate that they are.) So, in the phase where they become attracted to one another there is symmetry. However, if one is then switched off before the other, we get asymmetry. And then later when the second one is then switched off that asymmetry persists given that the first electromagnet has already been switched off and so whether the second electromagnet remains on or is switched off is irrelevant and has no effect on it (to the already switched off one). In other words, when the two electromagnets are turned on at the same time we get the same attraction by each one towards the other (Third Law cool). However, when one is switched off before the other then the switched off one loses its attraction towards the other while the other remains attracted to the switched off one (Third Law not cool). And we never get this asymmetry in the opposite direction back because the already switched off one is not affected by the other one whether it remains on or is also eventually switched off too. Yes? No? How do we get cool with Newton’s Third Law in this situation? ? ? .

Newton’s Third Law? “For every action there is an equal and opposite action.” Is Newton’s Third Law then temporarily violated as the permanent magnet is pulled towards the electromagnet while the electromagnet is not pulled towards the permanent magnet, or not? ? Although the opposite asymmetry occurs earlier when the electromagnet is first switched on, and so there is “equality” but only over time and only over opposite actions (turning the electromagnet on and then back off). But I always thought Newton’s Third Law was set in the immediate (or, at least, the near immediate) and not set over an (arbitrarily) large amount of time (and over a “hypothetical” dynamic, in that the electromagnet may never be (hypothetically) turned off). ? ?

If there is a permanent magnet and an electromagnet 1 light year apart and separated by the vacuum of space, and say the electromagnet has been running for a number of years and it and the permanent magnet are attracted to one another, and then the electromagnet is turned off, will the permanent magnet "feel" this change in less than 1 year? Will the permanent magnet still remain attracted to the electromagnet for 1 year longer even though the electromagnet has been turned off?

Actually you can never prove a theory is true. What you can do is show it is more and more and more likely to be true. (You can prove a theory is false. And it only takes one experimentally demonstrated exception to do this.) I doubt his "secret" will make this old known flawed perpetual motion machine work. But why not see what he thinks he's got?

If you're in the United States you can get a provisional patent for 65 dollars. And you don't need to hire an attorney to file the proper paper work. You can do it yourself. (And if you can't figure out the file it using the government web site there are also several web sites that will help you file for a provisional patent for an extra fee.) This gives you a one year protection of your idea and so allows you to tell other people about your idea without the fear of them stealing it. If it's a good idea (if other's cannot find the flaw in your proposal) then at any time during that year you can then spend the greater about of money to hire an attorney and file for a regular patent.

Yes. If the liquid is a ferrofluid and if there is a magnet on the right hand side, then the liquid could be held in the J shape. However, there would still be the same problem with the overall design as with a non ferrofluid liquid in the "John Phin" design. Pressure increases with depth. The buoyant force on the string of balls in the column of fluid does create a tendency for the system to turn counterclockwise. However, it is not enough to overcome the resistance to getting the next ball in at the bottom of the column of fluid. Even if the fluid is a ferrofluid and held in the J shape due to magnetic attraction, within the column of ferrofluid pressure still increases with depth. The ferrofluid above is still resting on the ferrofluid below (otherwise it would fall down to where the fluid below is). And this creates a greater and greater pressure down the length of the column of ferrofluid just as with a non ferrofluid fluid.

Unless you have something on the left hand side of the U shaped container keeping the fluid down in place, the fluid on the left will rise and the fluid on the right will fall. In the end the fluid will end up at equal levels on both sides of the U. In your blog you say that you can keep the fluid in the J shape, but its a secret. Well, what's your "secret"? If you could keep the fluid in the J shape that's the real accomplishment.