Greek_Geek

I don't believe in PMM's, but I'm trying to understand the physics of why the capillary and water mill PMM doesn't work. Can someone explain it to me in terms of "energy". Here was my explanation: Nature is always trying to achieve the lowest state of energy. If water overcomes gravity due to capillary action, that means that the intermolecular bonding of water to the glass surface (coupled with surface tension) achieves a lower state of energy than gravity alone. That being said, why would the water suddenly succumb to the force of gravity after the siphon? Capillary action is the lowest state of energy for that system, so succumbing to gravity later would actually mean returning to a higher state of energy.

What is the difference? Matter has mass.

I think part of the problem in trying to conceptualize energy is by explaining it as something "physical". That gets dicey when you delve into quantum mechanics where the concept of "physical" starts to lose meaning. Energy is definitely real. Just because you can't conceptualize doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To this day I still have some difficulty understanding gravity. Warping space-time? Well how? Warping with respect to what? How can you warp something when space is the largest frame of reference. Doesn't mean I don't believe it. At some point we have to believe empirical data. I do however know exactly how you feel because I was thinking exactly the same thing once. Best way to put it, energy is the "stuff" that makes everything go into motion, whether it opposes a force, or is induced by a force, or is transferred into a moving object, etc. It is much more than that, but that is a simplistic way to look at it.

Is it possible to take molecular hydrogen gas contained in a near vacuum, break the bonds to create free radicals, and then induce them under a magnetic field to orient their magnetic moments in a specific direction in space? Furthermore, if the previous is possible, can the atoms then be induced into a constant motion in one direction by alternating the magnetic fields? Sorry, I probably posted this in the wrong section. I should have done it in inorganic chemistry.