take a look at this overbalanced wheel design

[0c]

TK, You've outdone yourself! That sure looks like perpetual motion to me. 

[TinselKoala]

Thru the magic of animated gifs. As long as your computer is running, that thing will turn.
But I can't take credit for it. The animation is from Simanek's site, of course, that I linked in an earlier post.

Why do the ramps just add losses? Because the balls do no useful work while rolling on the ramps, they just convert that hard-bought PE into KE, the momentum vector of which needs to be reversed somehow when the balls get back onto the wheel. It's not transferred to the wheel, so it's just wasted, I think it actually slows the wheel down--in other words, the momentum of the rolling balls on the lower ramp actually would slow the wheel as the balls go from the ramp to the wheel.

But that doesn't change the fact that, neglecting losses, the maximum useful work available from gravity wheels, in general, is zero. Add losses, and the thing grinds to a halt because it cannot even power itself.

Holding your breath until you turn blue, and stomping your feet, can't make 3+ 3 = 7, no matter what your theory is or what shape your rolling pins are.

[infringer]

All good engines usually have two forms of power battery and gas in most cases same goes for generators...

So I wonder if we could somehow use helium in an enclosed wheel to help the wheel along most likely not but obviously one who can create or nullify gravity has to potential to do something magical.

I see why Tim Ventura went all in big on the lifter project then kinda burned out at american antigravity.

It seems as if the areas of research that are lacking somewhat is cheaper solar fabrication, and gravity control ...

The exsisting cheapest form of free energy is wind and water turbines.

[mondrasek]

Torque.  Torque is what makes something spin.  Torque.  Not mass.  Not acceleration.  Not even Force.

Yes, mass, acceleration, and (since Force = mass x acceleration) Force are all part of what makes something spin.  But they do not do it without Torque.

Torque.

What is Torque?  Torque = Force x DISTANCE.  That is why the units for torque are sometime kg x meter (kgm), or foot x pounds (ftlb), or inch x ounces (inoz).  All of these are a measure of a force *times* a distance.

If the total torque is zero, nothing spins.  Also, the higher the torque, the faster something will accelerate it's spin.

What "distance" do we need to consider?  The distance from where the force is applied, to the pivot point (axle of rotation).  But vectors also play a part.  In the case of gravity acting on a mass (gravity wheels), the force is the acceleration of gravity *times* the mass.  This is commonly known as the *weight* of an object.  The "distance" that is used in only how far to the SIDE of the pivot the weight exists.  So it does not matter if a weight is 10 meters directly above the pivot point.  In that case it is has a zero distance to the side of the pivot point so the torque that such a weight has is zero.

So, a 1kg weight at 1 meter to the side of the pivot point has a torque of 1 kgm.  Move that weigh up or down only and it still has only 1 kgm of torque.  Move the weight sideways so that it is 2 meters to the side and now the torque is 2 kgm.

Torques on the same side of a pivot add together.  If you have 1 weight at 1 meter, you have 1 kgm of torque.  If you have a second weight at 2 meters on the same side you have 1 kgm + 2 kgm = 3 kgm.  So the wheel will want to spin in the direction where the weights are pulling it down. 

Torques on the opposite sides of a pivot subtract.  If you have the same 1 weight at 1 meter, you have 1 kgm of torque.  If you have a second weight at 2 meters on the opposite side you have 1 kgm - 2 kgm = -1 kgm.  So the wheel will want to spin in the direction where the *most* weight is pulling it down.  In this case, on the side where the weight is 2 meters away.  So this wheel will spin the opposite direction of the previous example above.  It will also accelerate slower, since the torque is 1 and less than the previous example where the total torque is 3.

In the gravity wheel drawing that started this thread you have many weights close to the axle on one side, and few farther away on the other side.  Because those few are so much arther away from the center, the torque they generate is equal and opposite to the torque of the many weights on the other side.

M.

[newideas]

The ramps just add more losses.

What would happen if one would tilt the wheel 45 degrees?  Would gravity have less of an influence on motion?