Science people: debunk this (OP image fixed)

[kevin 51l]

tbh instead of balls there should be carrotes

that way you could have two balls and it could be twice as fast!

[Ad Bot]

[Tømpson]

Well, on a large enough scale it could work I guess, because eventually friction would be overcome by the sheer volume of air being pushed to the top of the water.

[dkamm65]

Well, on a large enough scale it could work I guess, because eventually friction would be overcome by the sheer volume of air being pushed to the top of the water.

Nope. Larger scales would just increase the friction further.

Perpetual motion is impossible.

[Clone v.117]

Having the ball float wouldn't be near powerful enough to rotate anything, it would just stay still with a few balls floating around in the water.

[xxxxkill]

How does the turbine that powers the generator turn?

The power from the generator powers a motor which in turn powers itself
Started with like jump cables or some stuff I don't know

Because friction and resistance of wire carrying current from generator to motor

But what if, hypothetically, the generator was powerful enough to charge itself indefinitely?

People have been discussing this. A simple google search proved it.

Proved it right or wrong?

[Gojira]

A few minutes ago, a friend showed me this:



The first thing I think of when I see a troll physics comic is why it won't work. But this time I can't. Neither of us can (in fact he's trying it). There must be a sciencey way to debunk this. I know it won't work, but the only thing I can think of that might hinder it is the water barrier. But that doesn't really count, since it's not part of the actual idea behind this.

Smart people gogogo

the seal would not work.
at all.

[Nickelob Ultra]

Seal would not work.  Friction from the such a kind of seal would also cause problems.  The buoyancy would not generate enough force to pull the entire thing in order to pull the belt for the generator, and if it did, it would generate very little, almost miniscule.

[RedGajin]

The power from the generator powers a motor which in turn powers itself
Started with like jump cables or some stuff I don't know

The turbine would not be able to power a larger turbine that is needed to power itself. That, coupled with the fact that you would also be needing to GIVE energy to something else as well, would make the machine not work at all.

[MaroonCacti]

There is no image in OP

[danisaac5]

the seal would have to be slippery to allow the air balls movement into the tank, then the seal needs to close up after each ball for it not to leak, but other than that you get a slow, infinite source of electricity.
there could also be a low power usage electric motor to assist the pulley system to produce more electricity. but it would work.

[Nexus]

If you guys want the real physics reason this wont work: pay attention

The reason the ball of air floats upward is because the water has a gradual pressure increase as it gets deeper.

Forcing a ball of air into water from the surface is hard enough.

The pressure of the water at the bottom makes it even more difficult.  The amount of work needed to force the ball into a pressurized liquid accounts for all the energy gained by the ball accelerating upward.

[Skorpion]

I think the idea is that it powers itself, with any remainder used for other stuff.
But then again, it will probably use more power to power it.

[Mr. Jelly]

If (that's a big if) it works, it'll have a similar issue to the propane tanks submerged in water machine, it'll go at such slow speeds, you'll need several just to power a watch

[Kalphiter]

The balls floating in the water have to pick up the entire weight of the balls trailing behind.

[Nexus]

wtf am I the only one here that has taken AP physics?  Stop saying its plausible or pointing out irrelevant details about the drawing like "the floating ball will not have enough speed to turn a turbine" (btw incorrect, a hollow ball submerged just a few meters deep can emerge at over a hundred miles an hour) or "the one way valve would slow down the ball" because theoretical physics always involves zero friction (unless friction is key), no unwanted outside forces, and assuming that directional change is instantaneous and elastic.

I already de-bunked this

If you guys want the real physics reason this wont work: pay attention

The reason the ball of air floats upward is because the water has a gradual pressure increase as it gets deeper.

Forcing a ball of air into water from the surface is hard enough.

The pressure of the water at the bottom makes it even more difficult.  The amount of work needed to force the ball into a pressurized liquid accounts for all the energy gained by the ball accelerating upward.

The balls floating in the water have to pick up the entire weight of the balls trailing behind.

wtf no they are falling