Perpetual Scepticism
February 10th 2008 07:18
Worse, many scientists will stick with the status quo even when the facts don’t fit their theories. The current theory of Evolution is one such example – but let’s not go there.
In an interesting story I came across on the Net, a man called Thane Heins, from Almonte near Ottawa, appears to have discovered a form of perpetual motion.
Of course there is no such thing as perpetual motion, because it just can’t exist – according to current scientific thinking.
Yet Mr Heins has certainly found something that works. It’s just that no one has been able to explain why it works. And without a scientific explanation, apparently, something just can’t be.
This rather goes against the grain of true scientific discovery, which not only seeks to explain the known but to go beyond the known and discover and explain things that weren’t previously known. Nevertheless, scientific history is notorious for being full of scientists who refuse to believe in some discovery or other.
Mr Heins’ discovery, at the very least, could moderately improve the efficiency of induction motors, which are used in everything from electric cars to ceiling fans. At best it could tap into the mystery of electromagnetic fields and produce more work out of less effort. In other words, apparently make electricity out of nothing.
What a break-through for an electricity-hungry world that would be.
The Toronto Star recently reported: “One day in early 2006 [Heins] stumbled on to something strange. As part of a test, he had connected the driveshaft of an electric motor to a steel rotor with small round magnets lining its outer edges. The idea was that as the rotor spun, the magnets would pass by a wire coil placed just in front of them to generate electrical energy – in other words, it would operate like a simple generator.
The voltage was there, but to get current he had to attach an electrical load to the coil – like a light bulb – or simply overload it, which would cause it to slow down and eventually stop. Heins did the latter, but instead of stopping, the rotor started to rapidly accelerate. Somehow the magnetic friction had turned into a magnetic boost.”
Mr Heins has struggled to get any sort of recognition for his discovery. His background isn’t scientific, and he doesn’t have the know-how to explain what’s happened. Relying on scientists who don’t believe what’s happening makes it very hard for him to progress.
Late last month he visited Professor Markus Zahn at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zahn was impressed, but isn’t giving any answers yet, and he’s certainly not calling it perpetual motion.
He saw the potential for improving induction machines, however, and that in itself is a major plus. But he’s cautious about saying any more – at this stage.
It will be worth checking out this saga over the next months.
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