Comments on: How do you Model the Earth's Magnetic Field? Build your own Baby Planet…

By: lars-a mich

lars-a mich — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:58:32 +0000

Ok, reading around the net, it starts to make sense all these 2012 predictions…

Lets say the magnetic flow drags/makes the magnetic fields around us, and at some point after 1000's of years 'flips' over like any other gadget balancing on an edge.
Lets say, as we know, scientists got supristed of the suns sudden polar change happening after 6000 years instead of 11000 like they thought at first, and we do know the magnetic poles are not where they supposed to be, that's new. I read about it this spring, and lets say the earth behaves as the sun, switching poles by turning it self in-side-out. We would have a problem ? Since the mayans predicted the suns poler change 3000 b.c.

I'm wrong ofcours, but an nice spin to whats going on !!!

By: Jim Baerg

Jim Baerg — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:21:45 +0000

I was wondering that too Mike.

There is also so the possibility of using a sodium potassium mix that is liquid at room temperature (look up NaK).

Sodium or NaK have a fire hazard & Mercury has toxicity problems, but if you would rather deal with the fire hazard than toxicity I would think NaK would be the least bad thing to deal with.

By: mike

mike — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:56:28 +0000

If this is so Aodhhan, then why don't they use mercury and avoid the melting process?

By: Phil Glover

Phil Glover — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:51:27 +0000

Why an iron core, or nickel or any heavy solid core.
Try a miniature planet with hydrogen enveloped with a basaltic shell, topped with a cracked rocky ' lithosphere' sliding around on the shell.

By: Joel Raupe

Joel Raupe — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:43:28 +0000

I have to wonder also about the lunar tidal effect on Earth dynamism. The center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is not the center of Earth, the berycenter of mutual rotation is a third of the way from the surface of Earth to the core. The migration of this center of mass may not be sufficient at this point in our mutual relationship to "cause earthquakes" directly, for example, but when the Moon was closer, the effect must have been exceptionally dynamic, including the possibility of the Moon's presence being a driving force of tectonics. At various times in the ~ 4.527 Ga "relationship," there may have been wild times and eccentricities, possibly accounting for equally wild emf flips… much of which will be clarified with further lunar exploration.

By: Aodhhan

Aodhhan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:04:08 +0000

Theory states it shouldn't matter what metal is used, provided it is highly conductive. Iron itself is not magnetic, nor is nickle. Consensus is that turbulent flow of the metal in a molten state creates the polar differences for magnetism. Therefore, molten sodium (highly conductive itself) if moved correctly and turbulently; should create a magnetic field.
Metal in a molten state is quite different (at the molecular level) from when it is a solid.

Time will tell.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:23:37 +0000

While interesting in and of itself, the experiment won't come near representing a scale Earth unless the liquid contains a significant degree of ionization. A spinning conductor alone is not going to generate a magnetic field, there need to be separated charges in motion. Perhaps this experment includes magnetized particles in the liquid metal? I think the Birkeland experiment approach would have more to offer (using modern equipment and diagnostics), and is certainly easier to accomplish. And it will have a real, not simulated (as the article states), magnetic field, though the supposed mechanisms are different. The Birkeland approach was able to mimic the Earth (with auroras), Sun (predicted the solar equatorial torus) and Saturn (including rings, and that should give pause as we see more electrical effects such as ring spokes and many other "charged particle" phenomena at the ringed planet).

By: John Takolander

John Takolander — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:50:12 +0000

i have always wondered how liquid iron ca be magnetic. There`s the Curie point…

By: Astrofiend

Astrofiend — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:04:17 +0000

"But wait! Sodium is not diamagnetic like iron. Of course iron melts at too high a temperature to use it, but is liquid sodium truly analogous to a magnetic molten iron core at much higher pressures and temperatures? And what about the solid iron inner core? Certainly it's gotta have an effect. I'm not sure this experiment is valid."

It can help nail things down though. For instance, if the field is not produced, then they can hypothesize that the mechanism involved likely arises from a more esoteric effect than those able to be generated and modeled by the relatively simple setup. If the field is produced with similar characteristics to that of the Earth's and they can pin down the mechanism that generates it, then that at the very least suggests it as a likely candidate for playing a significant role in the process within the Earth.

Modeling and experimentation is all about trying to reduce a highly complex system to a more manageable one by removing excess baggage – determining which effects and mechanisms are important and which are not… I'm sure that they realise that the model has serious limitations, and will consider this in their final analysis.

By: Peter K

Peter K — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:56:13 +0000

But this one will have the added effect of being on a spinning ball (the earth!) so will have to deal with added coriolis etc. I don't think the tidal forces of the moon have much to do with that or the Earth's magnetic field.

By: Peter K

Peter K — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:54:10 +0000

It's going to be as exciting as when the world was absorbed into a micro black hole two weeks ago! Maybe the magnetosphere will be cancelled out due to the spinning of this model and cosmic rays will flood in and shut down the electrical apparatus of the CERN accelerator! Science is a BLAST!
No, really, that's pretty cool. It reminds me of the transporter in THE FLY! Remember the transporter in CONTACT? Maybe this one will introduce Jody Foster to her dead dad too!

By: neoguru

neoguru — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:48:41 +0000

But wait! Sodium is not diamagnetic like iron. Of course iron melts at too high a temperature to use it, but is liquid sodium truly analogous to a magnetic molten iron core at much higher pressures and temperatures? And what about the solid iron inner core? Certainly it's gotta have an effect. I'm not sure this experiment is valid.

By: Aodhhan

Aodhhan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:13:41 +0000

The famous last words of so many people, "Hey everyone, watch this!"

By: alphonso richardson

alphonso richardson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:49:15 +0000

This should be interesting: if it works , great, a better understanding of how the magnetosphere works.
If not, they may have to just RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!

By: Steve R

Steve R — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:07:58 +0000

I wonder if the tidal forces of the moon will be taken into account, they must have an effect on the liquid core as the entire crust moves/distorts the crust therefore changing the "shape" of the liquid's container.

By: owen

owen — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:56:51 +0000

Brilliant!

By: Colin

Colin — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:14:59 +0000

I agree, awesome… but I'd prefer not to be in the room when they switch this thing on!

By: Astrofiend

Astrofiend — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:41:28 +0000

Yeah, this thing is the best! I mean, what could be more awesome than a giant spinning ball of highly reactive molten sodium?! The potential for discovery is high, and the potential for disastrous accidents is not too far behind. In my books this make for one great experiment. It's like going back to the string-and-stickytape science of yesteryear, where mentioning something as lame as OH&S would permanently damage your credibility as both a scientist and an upstanding human being. This may come off sounding sarcastic – but it's not!

By: Patrick Carrasco

Patrick Carrasco — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:43:10 +0000

It's possible that this experiment will also increase our understanding of why the phrase "Hey! Watch this 'yall!" is so catchy.

By: Sili

Sili — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:58:37 +0000

One word: AWESOME! How can anyone think science is dull?