Magnetic energy or its potential?

Does anyone one know anything about magnetic energy or its potential?

Thanks,

Jake

Snake oil!  Unless it's a regular generator where an external energy source drives magnets it is almost certainly bunk.

Thanks, just seeing if there was any real potential with magnets. Although when I think about it, I wonder if there's a way to tap into the Earth's magnetic field? Could that be considered a external force? I know that may take some sophisticated equipment, but it seems there would be some wacky scientist working this.

I cool thing I did hear about magnets though was this guy from MIT developed a magnet device that will soon replace all cords and wires in that you place a main magnet (that's probably charged by some external force) somewhere in your house or where ever, then you place this simple patch looking thing on all your electronics that receives the magnetic frequency and it charges them; wireless.

After seeing this on Ted.com, I thought about how tapping into magnetic energy sounds really interesting. The idea above with Earth's magnetic field came to me while sitting in my geology class.

Thanks for the reply...Any other idea?

In reference to the earth's magnetic field,
Magnetic fields cause the generation of electricity in certain metals but only when they are moving through the magnetic field (the principle behind motors and generators)
Maybe an enormous windmill with giant coils in the blades- the wind moves the blades, the blades move through the earth's magnetic field, and electricity would be generated? How big would it have to be to do anything useful?

Can magnetic fields be used in some other way to create energy? I don't know. The concept of many "perpetual motion" machines is that magnetic fields would make a machine run itself, which would then be used to run a generator or something. The problem is friction, heat, etc will leak energy out of the system until it grinds to a halt.

"I cool thing I did hear about magnets though was this guy from MIT developed a magnet device that will soon replace all cords and wires in that you place a main magnet"

Sounds like an induction charger:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging

Nothing magical about this, one coil generating a magnetic field in the base, another one picking it up in the device and converting it back into electricity- the same way transformers work, and they've been around hundreds of years.

keep trying

just cause no one has created a real perpetual motion machine in the 300 years folks have been trying don't mean it never will happen.

but I tend to believe that the laws of thermodynamics will keep on holding us back for the lifespan of the universe

To me, the whole idea of perpetual motion machines violates a simple principle that seems stubbornly true: You can't get something for nothing.

I'm not saying people shouldn't try, its just that we have "perpetual" sources of energy already such as the sun, ocean waves, geothermal.

It seems to me that machines and devices that make use of these endless free sources of energy would be more or less the functional equivalents of "perpetual motion machines"

Thanks guys, I saw I had a couple of typos, but you still understood what I meant. However, what I was really getting at was while thinking about magnets, specifically the Earth's magnetic field, I thought wow, what a massive power energy source that seems so clean and "safe" meaning no radiation or chemicals or what not. I'm just looking for solutions to help get the next generation grow up in a world without being dependent on fossil fuels or nuclear as the main power sources. I know it's a tough challenge, and I'm sure you all feel the same by being a permie. Let's keep trying though!

To me, with all these wacky scientist doing mind bowing experiments, and actually coming up with some interesting and innovative technology, we'd be able to harness or use forces that already are functioning in our atmosphere. I don't know, I'm just fishing for something new.

But when it comes down to it, I see how just reducing the demand of energy would be the alimate solution....An ounce or prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Magnetism is radiation. 

EMR stands for electro magnetic radiation.

The visible light from the sun is radiation too.

Most of the dirt around you right now is mildly radioactive.

The wonderful heat you feel from that nice toasty fire on a chilly night camping is also radiation, infrared radiation in fact.

Radio and TV broadcast are radiation.

Your microwave oven makes radiation that can kill you, but it is stopped by the shielding, so no worries.

Don't get hung up on radiation as a bad thing, just pay attention to what wavelength it is.

Ionizing radiation = bad


Magnets and magnetism will not save the planet.

The laws of thermodynamics preclude any "over-unity" device that produces more energy than it consumes.  Looking for one is a waste of time and energy, guaranteed.

Finest regards,

troy

solarguy2003 wrote:
Magnetism is radiation. 

Magnetism is NOT radiation.  The 2 are linked but are not forms of the same thing.  One can be transformed, in different ways, into the other but it is like saying water and air are the same. Both have hydrogen and oxygen, as well as other elements but let's keep it simple for now, so you go ahead and try to breath water while I breath air.  Magnetism is NOT radiation.

To M E Kennedy,

Your point is well taken, but I was trying to demonstrate that "radiation" is a much more encompassing term than most people realize.  And also mostly harmless if not actually useful and helpful.  We would die without radiation, from the sun.

Certainly you would not deny that there is electromagnetic   radiation, would you?

Finest regards,

troy

Yes, there is EM Radiation.  No, magnetism isn't radiation.  Making such statements is misleading and perpetuates idea's such as "magnetic energy", a perpetual motion snake oil concept.  If you are trying to clarify an idea with an analogy you should make that clear as I did in the air/water comparison by using phrases such as "is like".  Unclear language makes matters worse not better.  Yes most "radiation" is benign, such as the visible light spectrum you allude to, but it is energy and can be readily converted to another form.  An example is heat when sunlight hits your arm.  No matter how strong the magnet it doesn't generate energy, put one on your arm and see if it warms up.  Magnets transform energy when they are moved, eg a generator,  transforms kinetic energy into electrical.  No static magnetic field creates energy, only moving magnetic fields.

Agreed.

Which is why I essentially stated that the laws of thermodynamics are inviolate.

Finest regards,

troy

Bamboo Jake wrote:specifically the Earth's magnetic field, I thought wow, what a massive power energy source

The earth's magnetic field is not a power source. It is the result of electron movement with in the earth's molten core (or that is the current theory at least). What we do know is that the earth's magnetic field is oriented in such a way that there is no way for us to tap into it in the same way we can where we are using smaller magnets and wire coils such as is done in electric alternators and generators.

Bamboo Jake wrote:we'd be able to harness or use forces that already are functioning in our atmosphere. I don't know, I'm just fishing for something new.

We already are doing this. We do it with photovolatics, wind and hydro turbines and geothermal systems. We really don't need a new way to generate energy, we just need to get people to adopt the ways we already have. A new technology would be more expensive and would take decades longer to bring to market.