The Bessler Wheel, mystery solved.

[MarkE]

One way or another you have to get gravity to act differently on the same mass at different times.  If gravity acts the same on the same mass in the same relative position to other masses at all times then you are stuck with conservation.  If the idea is that there is some background energy source, then the first task is to show that such an energy source exists and that there is some way to access it.                       

[MarkE]

Not really.

You could also have the mass acting within a reactionary system where gravity becomes the constant that allows the mass to see a difference in the reaction as it interacts with the system.

I'm sorry but that is hogwash.  As long as the gravitational field is conservative, then the amount of work that can be extracted by moving a mass in that field from one point to another is the same effort that has to be reapplied to return the mass to its initial position.  In order to be able to extract net work each cycle, one must find a way around the conservative nature of gravity as we know it.

Kind of like a surfer,, the surfer is falling down the wave front and another force is pushing the water up to meet the surfer,, it is gravity being a constant force that allows the surfer to move forward over the water,, get rid of gravity and the surfer does not move,, get rid of the outside force lifting the water and the surfer does not move,, it is a whole reactionary system between the surface of the water and the surfer, the water being pushed up against the surfer, gravity pulling the surfer down, and the leverage the surfer uses by position on the board.

It's gravity supplying the force in both cases.  And in both cases net external energy is being expended cycle by cycle.

Gravity is perfectly conserved, but it is a required component of the system.

As long as gravity is conservative, the machine cannot be made to use gravity to deliver net work each cycle.

[MarkE]

Well MarkE,, you can have fun with that.

I did mention an outside force,, oops did you not read that.

What you seem to miss is that as long as gravity is conservative, then you cannot get net work out cycle by cycle moving objects around in that field.

Did I mention that the surfer does not NEED to have a change in THERE GPE??  maybe not   Once elevated by the wave they can stay at that height while riding the wave along there merry way, giving the gained height back to gravity at the end of the ride.

First: the system loses GPE and does so whether the surfer is there to take advantage of it or not.  There happens to be a whole bunch around so it takes eons to see much difference.  Second: The surfer gets his ride out of a small part of that lost energy.

[TinselKoala]

Utter facepalm.

The surfer gets a huge injection of energy from the wave, which is in turn powered ultimately by winds, which in turn are powered by the sun. The surfer is generally descending but the slope he's descending is rising, so he can stay at the same height on the wave as he is transported shorewards.

Gravity's only "function" is to provide an energy storage. You (or someone else, or the wave) put in work by elevating objects and gravity gives back that same work when the objects are allowed to fall. That's it.

[MarkE]

No MarkE,

What you are missing is,,,,  what function gravity is providing.

Do you know what is nice about any field force?  you do not need to have any physical connection to the field to have the force manifest.  No strings, no levers, no nothing,, action at a distance,, reaction at a distance,, try that with levers and pulleys,, they don't work so well without that physical connection thingy.

There is no less a connection with the surfer.  The surfer is in contact with the water.  The force at a distance that works on the surfer is almost entirely gravitational acceleration from his mass and the mass of the earth pulling him towards earth's center.  All the work that is done is expended energy.  There is no free energy in your example from any source including gravity.