Is Coin Shrinking a Safe and Fascinating Hobby?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hobby of coin shrinking, exploring its safety, legality, and the underlying physics involved in the process. Participants express various viewpoints on the feasibility, implications, and motivations behind this activity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the safety of coin shrinking, particularly regarding the use of electricity.
  • There is skepticism about the legality of defacing currency, with one participant questioning whether it is illegal.
  • One participant humorously suggests that the coins could be extraterrestrial technology.
  • Concerns are raised about the physical implications of shrinking coins, including changes in density and mass, with one participant speculating about the use of a lost wax casting machine.
  • Another participant asserts that the mass of the coin remains the same after shrinking and claims that the process is legal.
  • Some participants question the motivation behind shrinking coins, with one noting potential profitability due to limited competition.
  • There are discussions about the physics of the process, including the effects of magnetic forces and the conservation of mass and volume.
  • One participant expresses doubt about the necessity of machines for shaping coins, suggesting that manual methods could suffice.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views regarding the safety, legality, and practicality of coin shrinking. There is no consensus on these issues, and participants express a range of opinions and hypotheses.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference external links for further information on the coin shrinking process, but the validity of these sources and the claims made within them remain unverified within the discussion.

Pocketwatch
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It seems to be an interesting hobby. Might be a little dangerous though if you aren't careful with electricity.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0%2C12543%2C490445%2C00.html
 
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Engineering news on Phys.org
Go ahead and debunk it. Who wants to be first? :biggrin:
 
I think the coins are aliens in disguise made by extraterrestial technology just waiting for their moment to overtake humanity ... you conviced me or was that myself :/
 
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Isnt defacing currency illegal?
 
I am very skeptical about this process. This would imply that either a significant amount of metal has been removed, or if that is not the case, then the smaller coin has then same mass as the original, therefore the density has been been changed.~^ If this is the case something very strange has happened.

I suspect a hidden lost wax casting machine.

Has this process been repeated by independent labs?
 
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But why would a person want to shrink coins?
 
Pocketwatch said:
I don't doubt it can be done like they say. If I had all the capacitors and step up transformers it takes, I would shrink some coins myself. Other metal objects can be shrunk as well.

The mass of the coin remains the same. According to them, it is legal.


Here is a good page that describes the process.

http://205.243.100.155/frames/shrinkergallery.html

http://205.243.100.155/frames/shrinker.html

From those links, it looks like there is significant thickening. That makes sense. The magnetic forces would cause a stress that could be relieved by a reduction of surface area to volume ratio.

Njorl
 
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recon said:
But why would a person want to shrink coins?

Judging from their price list of shrunken coins, it could be quite profitable. Especially since it seems very few people are doing it.
 
  • #10
I found out about coin shrinking while I was searching for a way to compress time.

I am more interested in time compression than time dilation.
 
  • #11
Pocketwatch said:
I found out about coin shrinking while I was searching for a way to compress time.

I am more interested in time compression than time dilation.

Hey, time is money!

Njorl
 
  • #12
Njorl said:
From those links, it looks like there is significant thickening. That makes sense. The magnetic forces would cause a stress that could be relieved by a reduction of surface area to volume ratio.
I agree. The force obviously acts on a vector from all points on the circumfrence toward the center. The circumfrence shrinks, the center thickens. Mass and volume are conserved.
 
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  • #13
It doesn't seem that amazing...i'm not so sure that someone good with a hammer couldn't shape a coin anyhow without machines.

I haven't seen any shrunken coins on ebay.
 

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