"XX. Perpetuum Mobile Clock
The original of this clock was constructed by Jean and David Geiser in Neuchatel in 1815. It represents a classical perpetual motion machine where the weights turn so that when on the right they are further from the axis. The resulting greater moment is supposed to keep the wheel turning."
http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/physics_museum/clocks/skeleton.htm
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5 years and no response. ???
Quote5 years and no response.
We explain how it works?
Tanks
leo48
I have to make some assumptions because I cannot see the working mechanisms. But it looks like the weights on the outer gears are just there for show. They are attached to small gears. Those gears are attached to the large main wheel by axles that are equally spaced and equidistant from the center of that wheel. So as far as that large main wheel is concerned, the force due to the weights is applied only at the small gear axles and is therefore equally spaced and equidistant from the center of that wheel. The whole assembly is completely balanced. It only appears there is more force due to the weights on one side.
It looks like at 6 and 12 o'clock the weights shift position. This should also be a completely balance operations. But it does not appear that both weights rotate exactly 180 degrees on their outer gears assemblies. But on the whole, each gear would still rotate exactly 360 degrees during one full 12 hour rotation, so it is still balanced.
All in all this looks to be probably a wind up clock that has a very neat and perfectly balanced mechanism rotating around it. The mechanism gives the optical allusion that it is an unbalanced wheel, but it is not. The weights have nothing to do with driving the mechanisms of the clock. Instead, the clock spring drives the weight mechanisms.
M.
Pay close attention to the missing teeth on the
satellite gears.
Quote from: Thaelin on April 11, 2010, 05:11:20 AM
Pay close attention to the missing teeth on the
satellite gears.
Hehehe... Very good Thaelin. Only one thing could have caused all of those missing teeth from substandard metal from that time period...
Well... A beautiful piece of art. But I don't think anything more. You don't find perpetual motion machines in the physics museum ;) Anyway, it must be incredibly fascinating to watch it spin ;) You can find other cool clocks under the following link: http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/physics_museum/clocks/
Some are pretty amazing, like this one:
http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/physics_museum/clocks/sky52.jpg