Monday, February 11, 2008

Breaking the laws… of physics

There’s hope for those of us who just don’t feel the love when it comes to math and science.  A Canadian man named Thane Heins is a college dropout, yet it appears he may have invented the world’s first perpetual motion machine.  The scientific community is still skeptical about Heins’ claims, not because he lacks the education to be a true scientist, but because the concept of “perpetual motion” is deemed impossible by all the existing laws of physics.  To put it simply, you have to use energy to create energy; you can’t create energy from nothing.  The fact that Thane Heins has created a motor which seems to run on energy from “nothing” is exactly what has the scientific community alternately up in arms, or scratching their heads.

Heins invention is called “Perepiteia”.  It’s a simple electric motor, with a driveshaft.  The motor is activated using regular electrical current, but then a large magnet is held a few inches from the driveshaft to create a magnetic field.  When the magnetic field is applied, the motor inexplicably begins to accelerate.  If Heins machine forces the laws of physics to be rewritten, it means that an electric car could start up on a battery, but the battery could be constantly recharged by the application of a magnet while in motion.  Moving a magnet closer to the engine could assist in acceleration.  It’s potentially a vast source of clean, renewable energy with no nasty side-effects.

After years of dismissing Heins’ claims, some people in scientific academia are finally starting to show interest.  The inventor was recently invited to demonstrate his machine at MIT, and the University of Ottawa has given him access to a professional lab where he can perform tests and experiments on a larger scale.  He’s trying to attract the attention of people like Al Gore, Richard Branson, and the head of Tesla Motors, hoping they’ll help with financing and with credibility.

The laws of physics won’t be rewritten easily, and there’s no need to change them until some great mind can explain why the Perepiteia acts the way it does.  Perhaps it’s a simple explanation, or perhaps it truly is a revolutionary new discovery which could open the doors to endless supplies of cheap energy.  The answer will surely come soon, because after two years of being dismissed and ridiculed, scientists can no longer ignore what Thane Heins has to say.

You can read more about Heins and how he stumbled upon his discovery by reading this article in the Toronto Star.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/11 at 04:17 AM
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