Magnetic lines of Force

From: Nicholas Bodley (nbodley@world.std.com)
Date: Wed Mar 28 2001 - 14:32:37 PST


Very clever design! Don't drop the cow magnet into the test tube...
Any way to prevent oxidation, yet not cause clumping? Use the gas
from a bag of Tostitos, probably nearly-pure nitrogen?

Shortly after ferrofluids became available, I had some within a non-
miscible clear surrounding liquid. As you increased the field
strength, "pseudopods" would form; the number of tips was
proportional to the field strength. I read somewhere that the shape
of the "pseudopods" is unique in the physical world; never did learn
what math. function describes them.

Not sure what happened; the thin-chamber toys had short life, and
bulk fluid became really costly. No more to play with...

I picked up a roll (looks much like a roll of coins!) of
Ferrofluidics (TM) shaft seals at the MIT Flea Market last year. Each
is essentially a well-designed "thin washer" magnet between two steel
washers.

Nicholas Bodley |@| Waltham, Mass.
Please reply to nbodley@alumni.princeton.edu
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Autodidact and polymath to some extent



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