Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Perpetual Motion Machine?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Stephen-- I guess great minds think alike because the structure of your 
answer was almost identical to mine, but I'm sure you hadn't read mine yet 
because you wouldn't have bothered to reply.  ;-)  --Mike


On Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:

> Michael wrote:
> > > Is there any energy source we humans use that doesn't come from the sun, 
> > > at least indirectly?
> >
> > Gravity?
>
> Gravity isn't really an energy source.  It is a way of storing energy. If you 
> lift an object high up, it has more energy than when it is low down.  (This 
> is called potential energy.)
>
> For example, the heat from the sun evaporates water in the sea, and causes it 
> to rise.  In this way, energy is stored.  Later this water falls as rain onto 
> mountains, which then releases its energy by going downhill in rivers.  We 
> can capture this released energy by building hyodrelectric plants that 
> convert it to electricity (an amazingly transportable form of energy that 
> even a few hundred years ago must have seemed impossible).
>
> Thus, think of gravity as being a giant rechargable battery, that stores 
> energy, but is not capable of producing it.

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