Gravity as an energy source?

X facter · X facter *(Quark)*

Gravity as an energy source?

Sorry if this has already been posted, but this has been bugging me for a while and a search didn't turn up anything. We keep talking about alternative energy sources everywhere when there is a constant energy around us all the time. What I want to know is, could gravity be used as a feasible source of energy?

JustStuit · JustStuit *(Molecule)*

Not currently. Until we learn more about how gravity works we won't know for sure. It has a section on gravity in Wikipedia's perpetual motion machines. You can read that.
The main problem is that it takes force and energy to get an object up to use gravity. It would have to be done a different way than this.

Maddad · Maddad *(Lepton)*

Gravity represents potential energy. It's there if you've already put the work into making it there. There's energy in a bowling ball at the top of a tower if you've already hauled it up there. Once you use that energy, it's gone until you haul it back up again.

gcol · gcol *(Organism)*

I made a gravity powered generator last summer. I hauled a 50lb. weight up a 25' tree, which drove a small generator as it descended. Generating enough electricity to fully charge one small ni-cad was a struggle. It opened my eyes as to just how weak the gravitational force is compared to the electro-magnetic.

JustStuit · JustStuit *(Molecule)*

Originally Posted by gcol
I made a gravity powered generator last summer. I hauled a 50lb. weight up a 25' tree, which drove a small generator as it descended. Generating enough electricity to fully charge one small ni-cad was a struggle. It opened my eyes as to just how weak the gravitational force is compared to the electro-magnetic.

Yea. Keep in mind that much of the energy used in the system was you hauling the weigt up the tree. The coeffeicent of gravity in the (newtonian) equation $F=G \frac{m_{1} m_{2}}{d^2}$ is
$G = 6.68 \ \rm x \ 10^{-11}$
and for electromagnet force in the equation $F=k \frac{Q_{1} Q_{2}}{d^2}$ it is like
$k = 8.988 \ \rm x \ 10^9$ .
Gravity is a very weak force.

gcol · gcol *(Organism)*

All the system energy was put in by me. My work was stored as potential energy in ft.lbs, then released as I wished. I had much fun in determining sticktion, friction, pulley and gear efficiency, generator efficiency, and relative efficiency of electrical storage devices. I handcut the gears myself, too, very tedious!

ecoli · ecoli *(Caveat emptor)*

It is used... indirectly anyway. Hydroelectric damns make use of the fact that rivers flow from high elevations to low elevations, due to gravity.

swansont · swansont *(Shaken, not Stirred)*

Originally Posted by ecoli
It is used... indirectly anyway. Hydroelectric damns make use of the fact that rivers flow from high elevations to low elevations, due to gravity.

Of course that's really solar power moving the water to the high elevation.

EvoN1020v · EvoN1020v *(Molecule)*

Gravity is probably a weak force, but strong enough to keep humans on the Earth.

insane_alien · insane_alien *(Genius)*

Gravity is probably a weak force, but strong enough to keep humans on the Earth.

its obviously a weak force. i mean look how big the arth has to be to keep us on it. and it only takes a bit of charge to counteract gravity.

The Thing · The Thing *(Atom)*

Gravity's the weakest of the fundamental forces by far. Heck, the nuclear "weak" force is not as weak as gravity, in fact, much stronger. But gravity is a long range force.

theorein · theorein *(Quark)*

What would you say if...

Originally Posted by JustStuit
Not currently. Until we learn more about how gravity works we won't know for sure. It has a section on gravity in Wikipedia's perpetual motion machines. You can read that.
The main problem is that it takes force and energy to get an object up to use gravity. It would have to be done a different way than this.

I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously?

swansont · swansont *(Shaken, not Stirred)*

Originally Posted by theorein
I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously?

Post it in "speculations"

X facter · X facter *(Quark)*

My idea was actually something along the lines of having some sort of generator that created energy while people walked over it, or something. Maybe build a city over it. I don't know how feasible this is, though.

swansont · swansont *(Shaken, not Stirred)*

Originally Posted by X facter
My idea was actually something along the lines of having some sort of generator that created energy while people walked over it, or something. Maybe build a city over it. I don't know how feasible this is, though.

You could do it, but human-powered generators won't give you that much power. There's a reason we invented machines. You'd be better off trying to get energy directly from the food than running it through people first.

lightwave · lightwave *(Meson)*

I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously?

You could try going to the www.WeDon'tUseAnyThingForEvil.com website

SmallIsPower · SmallIsPower *(Atom)*

Actually, so NASA scientists are experimenting with gravity shielding and some other wild ideas, in the hope of someday reaching the stars, but we're quite far off. But then when the idea of a Space Elevator first came up in 1890, who would have thought carbon fiber would make that a possibility?

Pleiades · Pleiades *(Baryon)*

I have a question then: you suspend a permanent magnet several inches from the ground and roll a steel ball under it, the magnet picks it up. Where did the energy come from to move the ball against gravity? This is driving me nuts.

JustStuit · JustStuit *(Molecule)*

Originally Posted by Pleiades
I have a question then: you suspend a permanent magnet several inches from the ground and roll a steel ball under it, the magnet picks it up. Where did the energy come from to move the ball against gravity? This is driving me nuts.

The electrons - this is the electromagnetic force. Magnets do not last forever though.

Pleiades · Pleiades *(Baryon)*

I still don’t understand where the energy comes from. Are you saying that if you used a permanent magnet to lift the steel ball enough times it would be depleted and no longer magnetic?

JustStuit (Molecule)	February 11th, 2006, 9:57 AM #2
Not currently. Until we learn more about how gravity works we won't know for sure. It has a section on gravity in Wikipedia's perpetual motion machines. You can read that. The main problem is that it takes force and energy to get an object up to use gravity. It would have to be done a different way than this. ______________ Embrace the Calculus
Joined Aug 2005 \| 667 posts \| Location: Lovely Florida Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

JustStuit (Molecule)	February 11th, 2006, 11:16 AM #5
Originally Posted by gcol I made a gravity powered generator last summer. I hauled a 50lb. weight up a 25' tree, which drove a small generator as it descended. Generating enough electricity to fully charge one small ni-cad was a struggle. It opened my eyes as to just how weak the gravitational force is compared to the electro-magnetic. Yea. Keep in mind that much of the energy used in the system was you hauling the weigt up the tree. The coeffeicent of gravity in the (newtonian) equation $F=G \frac{m_{1} m_{2}}{d^2}$ is $G = 6.68 \ \rm x \ 10^{-11}$ and for electromagnet force in the equation $F=k \frac{Q_{1} Q_{2}}{d^2}$ it is like $k = 8.988 \ \rm x \ 10^9$ . Gravity is a very weak force. ______________ Embrace the Calculus Last edited by JustStuit; February 11th, 2006 at 1:21 PM..
Joined Aug 2005 \| 667 posts \| Location: Lovely Florida Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

ecoli (Caveat emptor)	February 11th, 2006, 2:28 PM #7
Moderator It is used... indirectly anyway. Hydroelectric damns make use of the fact that rivers flow from high elevations to low elevations, due to gravity. ______________ thoughts from gut bacteria AIM sn - ETecoli The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.
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swansont (Shaken, not Stirred)	February 12th, 2006, 3:37 AM #8
Physics Expert Moderator Originally Posted by ecoli It is used... indirectly anyway. Hydroelectric damns make use of the fact that rivers flow from high elevations to low elevations, due to gravity. Of course that's really solar power moving the water to the high elevation. ______________ Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum Stop failing the Turing test! My SFN blog: Swans on Tea Text like this means I'm wearing my moderator hat
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insane_alien (Genius)	February 12th, 2006, 8:58 AM #10
Gravity is probably a weak force, but strong enough to keep humans on the Earth. its obviously a weak force. i mean look how big the arth has to be to keep us on it. and it only takes a bit of charge to counteract gravity. ______________ Tired of waiting around for a reply on the forums? Use IRC, 'I don't know how' is no longer an excuse. "Special" Relativity, stupid ideas seem smarter when they come at you really fast.
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X facter (Quark)	February 11th, 2006, 9:51 AM #1
Gravity as an energy source? Sorry if this has already been posted, but this has been bugging me for a while and a search didn't turn up anything. We keep talking about alternative energy sources everywhere when there is a constant energy around us all the time. What I want to know is, could gravity be used as a feasible source of energy?
Joined Apr 2005 \| 21 posts Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

Maddad (Lepton)	February 11th, 2006, 10:41 AM #3
Gravity represents potential energy. It's there if you've already put the work into making it there. There's energy in a bowling ball at the top of a tower if you've already hauled it up there. Once you use that energy, it's gone until you haul it back up again.
Joined Feb 2006 \| 8 posts \| Location: Royersford, Pennsylvania, USA Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

gcol (Organism)	February 11th, 2006, 11:03 AM #4
I made a gravity powered generator last summer. I hauled a 50lb. weight up a 25' tree, which drove a small generator as it descended. Generating enough electricity to fully charge one small ni-cad was a struggle. It opened my eyes as to just how weak the gravitational force is compared to the electro-magnetic.
Joined Mar 2005 \| 1,102 posts Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

gcol (Organism)	February 11th, 2006, 11:29 AM #6
All the system energy was put in by me. My work was stored as potential energy in ft.lbs, then released as I wished. I had much fun in determining sticktion, friction, pulley and gear efficiency, generator efficiency, and relative efficiency of electrical storage devices. I handcut the gears myself, too, very tedious!
Joined Mar 2005 \| 1,102 posts Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

EvoN1020v (Molecule)	February 12th, 2006, 8:48 AM #9
Gravity is probably a weak force, but strong enough to keep humans on the Earth.
Joined Oct 2005 \| 478 posts \| Location: Head Hall @ UNB Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation: \|

The Thing (Atom)	February 12th, 2006, 11:42 AM #11
Gravity's the weakest of the fundamental forces by far. Heck, the nuclear "weak" force is not as weak as gravity, in fact, much stronger. But gravity is a long range force. ______________ "The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance." Robert R. Coveyou, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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theorein (Quark)	February 12th, 2006, 10:45 PM #12
What would you say if... Originally Posted by JustStuit Not currently. Until we learn more about how gravity works we won't know for sure. It has a section on gravity in Wikipedia's perpetual motion machines. You can read that. The main problem is that it takes force and energy to get an object up to use gravity. It would have to be done a different way than this. I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously? ______________ http://theorein.bravehost.com/index.htm
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swansont (Shaken, not Stirred)	February 13th, 2006, 4:49 AM #13
Physics Expert Moderator Originally Posted by theorein I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously? Post it in "speculations" ______________ Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum Stop failing the Turing test! My SFN blog: Swans on Tea Text like this means I'm wearing my moderator hat
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X facter (Quark)	February 13th, 2006, 11:24 PM #14
My idea was actually something along the lines of having some sort of generator that created energy while people walked over it, or something. Maybe build a city over it. I don't know how feasible this is, though.
Joined Apr 2005 \| 21 posts Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

swansont (Shaken, not Stirred)	February 14th, 2006, 4:56 AM #15
Physics Expert Moderator Originally Posted by X facter My idea was actually something along the lines of having some sort of generator that created energy while people walked over it, or something. Maybe build a city over it. I don't know how feasible this is, though. You could do it, but human-powered generators won't give you that much power. There's a reason we invented machines. You'd be better off trying to get energy directly from the food than running it through people first. ______________ Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum Stop failing the Turing test! My SFN blog: Swans on Tea Text like this means I'm wearing my moderator hat
Joined Oct 2003 \| 11,956 posts \| Location: USA, east coast Rep Power: 24 \| Reputation: \| swansont's Blog

lightwave (Meson)	February 14th, 2006, 6:25 AM #16
I have a theory on Gravity, and how we can use it positively. But first I need assurance that it will never used for evil. Will you take my word seriously? You could try going to the www.WeDon'tUseAnyThingForEvil.com website
Joined Nov 2004 \| 58 posts \| Location: South of you Rep Power: 6 \| Reputation:

SmallIsPower (Atom)	March 11th, 2006, 2:13 PM #17
Actually, so NASA scientists are experimenting with gravity shielding and some other wild ideas, in the hope of someday reaching the stars, but we're quite far off. But then when the idea of a Space Elevator first came up in 1890, who would have thought carbon fiber would make that a possibility?
Joined Feb 2006 \| 207 posts Rep Power: 4 \| Reputation:

Pleiades (Baryon)	March 11th, 2006, 4:07 PM #18
I have a question then: you suspend a permanent magnet several inches from the ground and roll a steel ball under it, the magnet picks it up. Where did the energy come from to move the ball against gravity? This is driving me nuts. ______________ "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein
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JustStuit (Molecule)	March 11th, 2006, 4:26 PM #19
Originally Posted by Pleiades I have a question then: you suspend a permanent magnet several inches from the ground and roll a steel ball under it, the magnet picks it up. Where did the energy come from to move the ball against gravity? This is driving me nuts. The electrons - this is the electromagnetic force. Magnets do not last forever though. ______________ Embrace the Calculus
Joined Aug 2005 \| 667 posts \| Location: Lovely Florida Rep Power: 5 \| Reputation:

Pleiades (Baryon)	March 14th, 2006, 11:04 AM #20
I still don’t understand where the energy comes from. Are you saying that if you used a permanent magnet to lift the steel ball enough times it would be depleted and no longer magnetic? ______________ "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein
Joined Jul 2004 \| 164 posts \| Location: Bermuda Rep Power: 6 \| Reputation: \|

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