How does water respond to repelling magnets and vice versa?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interaction between water and repelling magnets, specifically exploring what happens to water when it flows over a plane between two repelling magnets and vice versa. The scope includes theoretical considerations and experimental phenomena related to magnetism and fluid dynamics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the nature of the magnets' repulsion, seeking clarification on whether it refers to magnets repelling each other or magnets repelling water.
  • Another participant suggests that clean water should have almost no effect on the interaction between the magnets, while noting that water with iron could disrupt the magnetic field.
  • A participant confirms that water will flow between the magnets.
  • It is proposed that water is weakly repelled by magnets, and with sufficiently powerful magnets, effects on the water could be observed, potentially preventing it from flowing between the magnets.
  • A reference is made to a demonstration involving a frog levitating above a powerful electromagnet, illustrating the effects of strong magnetic fields on water.
  • Another participant introduces the concept of magnetohydrodynamic drive, mentioning that water must be polarized to see effects when passing through a magnetic field.
  • Discussion includes how normal matter interacts with magnetic fields, referencing MRI technology and the polarization of protons in water.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the effects of magnets on water, with some suggesting minimal interaction while others propose observable effects under certain conditions. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent and nature of these interactions.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the assumptions made about the purity of water and the strength of the magnets, as well as the conditions under which the interactions are observed.

lorp
an old 'newbie' with first post. excuse my physics knowledge it has been a long time since college.
>>>QUESTION below<<<
Magnets repel (each other).
If repelling 'each other' through a plane (ex. piece of glass) and water is allowed to flow over the plane.
WHAT will happen to the water when approaches magnets that are repelling? likewise what will happen to repelling magnets?

I would love thought/answer.
Thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Welcome Lorp!

Just for clarity, when you say "magnets repel", do you mean two magnets that repel each other, or a set of magnets that repel water?
 
claification:

magnets repelling each other.
 
As long as the water is clean, they should have almost no effect at all on one another. In the town where I grew up, the water that came out of the tap had a lot of iron in it, and that would disrupt the magnetic field between two magnets, but ordinary water shouldn't effect it at all.
 
Will the water flow between the magnets?
 
yes.
 
If I recall correctly, water is very weakly repelled by magnets, so with sufficiently powerfull magnets, you're likely to see some effects of the water. (Possibly including no water flowing between the magnets.)

There is a famous demonstration where a frog is floated above a powerfull electromagnet:

http://www.hfml.sci.kun.nl/froglev.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Flying Frogs. Thanks!
 
And there's also the phenominon of magnetohydrodynamic drive, but I believe that in order for this to work the water has to be polarised first before passing through the magnetic field.
 
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  • #10
All normal matter (electrons, protons, and neutrons) interacts with a magnetic field. This is how an MRI works. There is a very intense magnetic field (~10 T) to polarize the protons. Then, there is a pulsed gradient (orders of magnitude less) that disturbs the polarization. Protons in particular configurations respond to this step excitation are different frequencies. Hydrogen, if I remember correctly, since it has only one proton, has a strong appearance, so regions with more water show up more strongly.
 

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