Ok so I think I just invented a perpetual motion machine...where's the prize?!!!

[FlllightAttendant]

I was mucking about with Magnetix, made two five-sided star things and was holding one up with the other - sort of dangling. The lower one was spinning and it wasn't slowing down

I made another one and it did the same - spinning for an infinite length of time at the same speed.

I am slightly freaked out by this.

Oh no it's alright, I found the same thing on Youtube just now

Darn!

Face it, FlllightAttendant, you haven't really been observing the thing for an infinite amount of time, have you?

Gosh, Hall, you're right.

Shucks.

There was a comment on the Utube one that said it stops after 20 minutes due to air friction. I don't believe them personally.

FA, link to the youtube vid please

It's here

Except they did really complicated shapes - mine were sort of a third of the size, ie two 5 pointed stars joined round the edges.

HTH!

...oh and I only used two shapes, not three. Mine just kept spinning in one direction.

Lovely to watch!

am going to try now

Keep trying, some of the points won't attach or won't turn. It depends on polarity of your magnets, so keep turning it till it hangs there spinning!

oooh
mine were FANCY

a bit like the ones on youtube

What do you mean 5 pointed star? I couldn't work that out

Ok, the ones on youtube had a 5 pointed/sided thing going on. Mine were a bit like that.

Take one ball. Stick 5 short bits to it, radiating out like a star. With me so far?

Then take another ball. Do the same, ie attach 5 bits in a star shape. This time, put a ball on the end of each bit.

Join the two together with these balls.

They make fantastic spinning tops too if you grasp them with all your fingers spread out round the edges, and spin hard on a flat surface. Brilliant balance and spins for ages

so they're flat? Right...will try it

no, they aren't flat are they? Just tried it, with three in a row, bottom one nad middle one spinning in diffent directions (ooooh)

So you just put them together randomly? No need to align the diffent poles?

Project for me DTDs at the weekend....

I think you could align poles but I didn't bother, just keep turning till it works with one particular 'corner'.

Glad you managed it MamavonG!

Why do magnetix not come with a book of ideas - with instructions how to make them? The number of their 'ideas' I've tried to copy from the pictures, and failed

Mama, no not flat - you can't make a flat 5-pointed snowflake with them. Six is possible though. With the 5, the middle has to stick up in the air or the edges won't meet.

no, when i started to make em i realised they weren't flat

It was great I played for ages today while DD was at school !!