Leonardo's Perpetual Motion Idea

[gearhead]

This website www.mutr.co.uk claims that the design below seems to work...

[Fletcher]

The tapered axle & the offset rails allow the wheels COG to lower as it traverses imo.

[rlortie]

It's the old cone on a tapered ramp trick. It is good until it runs out of cone taper or track width.

The clear plastic with the balls is for show! it will function better without them. Probably even faster, but then that would shorten the thrill. You have to manually reset it to the narrow end of the ramp for a repeat.

Strictly a novelty item and nothing more. Its a poor mans version of the Finsrud machine.

Want to make one, get two funnels of the same size tape them together, plug the end of one and fill both with sand or whatever. make a track out of what ever you have available and you have saved your self a few pounds Sterling.

Ralph

[gearhead]

My question is... could it possibly be oscillating back and forth...reaching the end of the track then overbalancing then returning?

[scott]

Ralph is right. I've seen one of these in a store. The description of the toy even says: "When assembled this kit is a very stylish statement suggesting that it actually works."

'nuff said?