Sjack Abeling Gravity Wheel and the Worlds first Weight Power Plant

[Omnibus]

@mondrasek,

But at no time was a reservoir of PE converted to more KE than expected.

To understand that the above statement is incorrect consider the entire journey. Don't focus on the instantaneous velocity. If you do that you'll understand that the video shows exactly the opposite to what you're stating, namely, an initial reservoir of PE is converted to more KE in one of the balls compared to the other. Indeed, although the physical path one of the balls actually travels along is longer the physical time for reaching the end point is shorter. Distance over time is nothing else but velocity and that means that the overall velocity of two balls of identical mass has been different. Two balls of identical mass having different velocity have different KE--same amount of PE has been converted to two different amounts of KE which is contrary to what you're stating. 

[mondrasek]

There's no doubt that one of the balls has more overall kinetic energy than the other although they start with the same potential energy, correct?

One ball can have more KE at any point along the path, but not at the end.  This has been proved experimentally ad nosium.

For example, have the long track begin as a straight slope that drops the entire height difference at half the horizontal length.  It would then run out straight and level the second half of the horizontal length.  A ball rolling down this ramp would gain the entire PE to KE conversion in half the horizontal travel, and be moving faster than the ball on the "short" track at that location.  But it would not gain anymore velocity on the second half of it's level track.  It would get to the end of it's track quicker.  But the ball on the short track would continue accelerating until it reached the end of it's track.  It would be in second place, but when it got to the end, it would have the same exact velocity/KE as the first ball.

This is the whole concept behind the definition of a "Conservative Field of Force".  Easily demonstrated.  If the video experiments did not end with the balls being caught in a basket, but instead allowed them to drop a short distance (or go up a ramp), you could see that both balls travel the same distance horizontally before hitting the ground (or up the ramp).  If you disagree, I recommend you try the experiment.

[Omnibus]

@mondrasek,

Before going further you have to agree with the obvious fact that the overall kinetic energy of one of the balls is greater than the kinetic energy of the other ball. Never mind the KE at the end point. We'll discuss that later. First agree that the obvious is indeed obvious.

[mondrasek]

@mondrasek,

Before going further you have to agree with the obvious fact that the overall kinetic energy of one of the balls is greater than the kinetic energy of the other ball. Never mind the KE at the end point. We'll discuss that later. First agree that the obvious is indeed obvious.

Sure, when you agree that when this is the case, the ball with the greater overall kinetic energy has moved vertically lower than the other ball by a distance that accounts for that increase in KE.  Please agree to this obvious fact.

[Omnibus]

@mondrasek,

That's not the obvious fact that I ask you to agree with. You talk about part of the distance traveled while what is to be considered is the entire distance traveled. Therefore, you have to agree first with the obvious fact that the entire distance has been traversed by the first ball for a shorter time than the time which the second ball needs to traverse its entire, shorter distance.

In other words, you have to agree first that, considering the entire distance traveled, the first ball has higher velocity, that is, has greater KE than the second ball, despite the fact that both ball have the same PE to begin with.

Do you see, you can't escape acknowledging the above obvious fact, no matter how you try to finagle?