At 12:28 PM 9/23/99 -0700, Brian wrote:
>Oh, Gee.  This design pops up at least once a year and is always
>good for a laugh or two.  :-)
>Most attempts to point out the flaws in it focus on the effectiveness
>of the shield device, and the resulting shape of the flux field.  What
>seems not to get noticed much, is that "permanent" magnets are
>not really permanent at all.  Energy is transferred to the magnet
>material during the magnetization process, and the best one can
>ever do is recover that quantity of energy and no more.
>If someone has figured out how to make a truly non-depletable
>permanent magnet, I'll be the first to invest!

I've got a pendulum clock on my mantle that has been swinging for 10 years
based on a pair of permanent small magnets.


================================================================
Robert A. LaBudde, PhD, PAS, Dpl. ACAFS  e-mail: ral@lcfltd.com
Least Cost Formulations, Ltd.                   URL: http://lcfltd.com/
824 Timberlake Drive                            Tel: 757-467-0954
Virginia Beach, VA 23464-3239                   Fax: 757-467-2947

"Vere scire est per causae scire"
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