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Questions and answers listed by Topic

Please note!

    Listed below are questions submitted by users of "The Great Magnet, the Earth" and the answers given to them. This is just a selection--of the many questions that arrive, only a few are listed. The ones included below are either of the sort that keeps coming up again and again, or else the answers make a special point, going into extra details which might make interesting reading.

        Classifications are tentative, and some entries appear under more than one heading.

Additional questions-and-answers:



List of Subjects:

1.     Magnets and magnetism
2.     Applications of magnetism (actual and proposed)
3.     Magnetism and life
4.     Earth as a magnet
5.     Dynamos
6.     Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Polarity
7.     Earth's magnetism in space
8.     Magnetism of the Sun and distant space
9.     Miscellaneous

Items covered:

1.     Magnets and magnetism

(1)     What is "Magnetic Flux" and what are "Flux Lines"?
(11)     Magnetic Shielding
(12)     Building an electromagnet
(18)     Effect of magnetism on water

(19)     "Why does this happen?" (electromagnetic induction)
(21)     Why do iron filings outline magnetic field lines?
(22)     Is Earth held in its orbit by magnetic forces?
(23)     All magnetism due to different arrangements of magnetic poles?
(31)     What is the smallest magnet?
(35)     Can we tell if a symmetric magnetic field rotates around its axis?
(36)     What causes permanent magnetism?
(37)     What types of metal are attracted to magnets?
(38)     "If the earth is a giant magnet, why doesn't all iron stick to it?"
(44)     Curie Point
(45)     Blocking of magnetic fields
(47)     Teacher seeks easy experiments
(52)     Decay of magnetism in a magnet
(54)     Magnetization of materials
(56)     Good "magnetic insulators"
(58)     Shielding magnetic fields (2 messages)
(59)     Conductivity and Transparency
(64)     Why does the magnetic field stop particles but not EM radiation?
(69)     Magnetic Flux
(70)     Why do moving electric charges create a magnetic field?
(73)     Is gravity related to magnetism?
(75)     How does magnetism spin aluminum disks in power meters?
(79)     Can sparks generate magnetic fields
(83)     Why two magnetic poles and not more?
(84)     Why no inverse-square law for magnetism?
(86)     Force and Energy
(90)     Magnetic shielding
(92)     A billion-Tesla field on Earth?
(113)     Rotation of magnetic field lines (1)
            Rotation of magnetic field lines (2)
(115)     Rapidly reversing magnet
(123)     What makes iron magnetic?

2.     Applications of magnetism (actual and proposed)

(2)     Is the surface of the Earth expanding?
(3)     Will a Compass work inside a Car?
(7)     Can Magnetism propel Spaceships?
(20)     What would a Compass on the Moon point to?
(24)     Magnetism to replace gravity in a space station?
(33)     "Artificial magnetic shields" for astronauts?
(50)     Tesla's patents, and ball lightning
(51)     Can electricity be generated from the Earth's magnetic field?
(57)     Creating magnetic pottery
(63)     Magnetic Levitation
(75)     How does magnetism spin aluminum disks in power meters?
(78)     Uses of Magnetic Energy
(80)     Can a magnetometer detect cracks in an oil well?
(81)     Telling about magnetism
(82)     Does North-South orientation slow down iron corrosion?
(98)     Building one's own hybrid car
(100)     Nuclear reactor at the Earth's center?
(101)     Protecting Magnetically encoded Tickets
(106)     Taking Hard Disks across the Magnetic Equator
(108)     Harry Paul Sprain's machine
(110)     Magnetometers and MRI
(115)     Rapidly reversing magnet
(122)     Electricity from the Earth's core?

3.     Magnetism and life

(13)     How do Magnetic Reversals affect Animal Migrations?
(26)     Can magnetic reversals affect the human mind?
(34)     The movie "The Core"
(39)     Risks from stormy "Space Weather"
(43)     "Magneto-therapy"
(61)     Geomancy
(107)     Human effects on Earth Magnetism?
(114)     Magnetism of the human body

4.     Earth as a magnet

(5)     What was it that Ned Benton did?
(9)     Measuring Earth's magnetic field
(10)     The strength of the Earth's mgnetic field
(14)     Which is the "True" North Magnetic Pole?
(15)     Magnetic intensity at Singapore
(17)     How does the Earth's field vary with location?
(22)     Is Earth held in its orbit by magnetic forces?
(38)     "If the earth is a giant magnet, why doesn't all iron stick to it?"
(48)     Local field does not always decrease!
(49)     Loss of magnetic energy from Earth
(60)     Heat sources inside the Earth
(76)     Magnetic Poles in Druid times?
(88)     Complex (non-dipole) parts of the Earth's Field
(93)     Measuring the Earth's Magnetic Field
(95)     Why is southern end of compass needle heavier?
(102)     Location of the Magnetic Pole
(111)     Earth--conductor or insulator?
(116)     Earth's core of frozen magnetic oxygen?
(118)     Magnetism inside the Earth
(124)     Magnetism and gravity don't mix!
(125)     Retracing ancient magnetism
(126)     Magnetic Anomalies"

5.     Dynamos

(16)     Inner Core Rotation
(41)     Dynamos triggered by the sun?
(46)     Earth magnetism from rotating electric charges?
(55)     Induction by non-fluctuating magnetic fields?
(65)     Earth's rotation and magnetism
(96)     Dynamo theory
(97)     How can an intensely hot Sun be magnetic?
(103)     Currents that Generate the Earth's Magnetism
(105)     Deriving Dynamo models from Equations?
(116)     Earth's core of frozen magnetic oxygen?
(118)     Magnetism inside the Earth
(121)     Teaching the dynamo process of the Earth's core

6.     Reversals of the Earth's Magnetic Polarity

(4)     Pole shifts? What Pole Shifts?
(5)     What was it that Ned Benton did?
(6)     Reversals of the Earth's field (4 queries)
(8)     Reversal of the Sun's Magnetic Poles
(25)     Magnetic reversal due soon? And are volcanoes a factor?
(26)     Can magnetic reversals affect the human mind?
(30)     Can the Sun trigger magnetic reversals?
(28)     Magnetic reversals due to comet impact?
(34)     The movie "The Core" (see also #68)
(62)     Are we approaching a polarity reversal?
(67)     The movie "The Core" (see also #34)
(68)     Telling the 6th grade about polarity reversals
(71)     Weakening of the Earth's Field (2 questions)
(83)     Why two magnetic poles and not more?
(94)     Orientation of ancient magnetized rocks
(99)     Is volcanism related to magnetic changes?
(109)     Reversal of Magnetic Poles
(127)     Magnetic pole reversals

For the next two items, see also "The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere",
an overview of the magnetic environment of the Earth in space and related physics.
(A few Q&As duplicated here)

7.     Earth's magnetism in space

(27)     When and where can I see "Northern Lights"?
(29)     Space Radiation and our weakening magnetic field
(30)     Can the Sun trigger magnetic reversals?
(85)     Sources of magnetic fields in space near Earth
(87)     Technical questions on magnetic energy and heating rate
(113)     Rotation of magnetic field lines (1)
            Rotation of magnetic field lines (2)

8.     Magnetism of the Sun and distant space.

(8)     Reversal of the Sun's Magnetic Poles
(32)     Isn't the Sun too hot to be magnetic?
(39)     Risks from stormy "Space Weather"
(40)     Does our magnetic field stop the atmosphere from getting blown away?
(74)     Observing Magnetic Planets
(89)     What causes sunspots?

9.     Miscellaneous

(2)     Is the surface of the Earth expanding?
(18)     Effect of magnetism on water
(42)     Could generated electricity affect Earth's magnetic field?
(53)     Magnetizing glass by a radio wave?
(66)     A career in geomagnetism?
(77)     Magnetism linked to Global Warming?
(81)     Telling about magnetism
(91)     Can a lightning surge clean-wipe your hard disk?
(98)     Building one's own hybrid car
(104)     "Dead Zones" for radio signals
(108)     Harry Paul Sprain's machine
(110)     Magnetometers and MRI
(111)     Earth--conductor or insulator?
(117)     Heating the inside of Earth
(119)     Electric field due to electromagnetic induction
(120)     Length of the compass needle

    If you have a relevant question of your own, you can send it to
    earthmag("at" symbol)phy6.org
    Before you do, though, please read the instructions



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Author and Curator:   Dr. David P. Stern
     Mail to Dr.Stern:   earthmag("at" symbol)phy6.org

Last updated 23 February 2008