Magnets can push each other off, but if you put magnets in a round place and in the middle a magnet with a wheel (which then drives a dynamo), doesn’t that inner magnet keep going round? And is it not possible to generate free energy? See drawing.
Answer
Magnetic repulsion/attraction behaves like a potential force. Potential force: a force perpendicular to planes of potential, just as gravity is related to potential energy, and perpendicular to contour lines (elevation planes).
For such forces, the potential (which means the same as potential energy) unambiguously depends on the position in space, e.g., the force is the gradient (derivative) of the potential, or, the potential is the integral over the distance traveled by the power.
What does this mean for your perpetuum mobile? The potential of the system (the sum of all mutual potentials) is purely a function of the position of your system. Indeed, this potential has ups and downs, so your system will prefer to be in one or more positions. If the system moves from higher to lower potential, it provides energy (this movement is easy), if it moves from lower to higher potential, it is difficult and needs energy.
But after exactly 360 degrees of rotation, the system will return in exactly the same potential, and no net energy will have been supplied or gained.
Answered by
Engineer Bart Dierickx
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