Can Ferromagnetic Objects Be Decomposed Using Magnetism?

[JoshuaFarrell]

I have came up with a theory, it could be completely wrong or not but i had the idea of ferromagnetic decomposition and what i mean by this is breaking a ferromagnetic object apart (such as iron) using magnetism. Is this possible or not?

 

[Simon Bridge]

Its your theory - how would you go about it?

Of course you can pull objects apart by applying a force to them.
What would be special about electromagnetism?

 

[JoshuaFarrell]

Yes but what i mean is has his been thought about before?

 

[Simon Bridge]

What? Forces tearing stuff apart ... yes of course it has.
Why would anyone imagine otherwise?

 

[JoshuaFarrell]

Yes that is obvious but i mean a magnetic force ripping objects apart

 

[Simon Bridge]

So... for ages people have thought about of forces ripping things apart and somehow did not think of magnetic forces doing this - only the other three?

I repeat: why would anyone imagine otherwise?

 

[JoshuaFarrell]

has it been done though, not imagined

 

[Simon Bridge]

You need to be more specific ... i.e. whenever you pull something apart in your hands, you are using electromagnetic forces to tear something apart.

Microwave ovens can turn solids into liquids and gasses using electromagnetism.

On a smaller scale, Electromagnetic fields are used to knock molecules apart all the time.

To tear apart, say, a 1kg lump of iron using just electromagnets ... I doubt it: there are just so many more energy efficient ways of doing it. That sort of thing would probably happen in nature - close to stars that have strong magnetic fields. I have seen a vid of a solid lump of iron getting liquidified in an alternating magnetic field - does that count?

 

[JoshuaFarrell]

Thank you all of that does help, but i mean overcoming the intermolecular bonds just using magnets. I do not want to liquify the metal i want it to split into two, or possible stretch it and the whole time i want it to be in a solid state. Anyway as well you said this may only happen in a star, what about nuclear fusion we can now do that.

 

[Simon Bridge]

Breaking intermolecular bonds will heat up the material.

To cut something in half using electromagnetism, without significant heating, use a knife or a saw.
Using a configuration of magnets is possible, I don't know that it has ever been done on a macroscopic scale.
I don't think the theory is especially difficult.

Anyway as well you said this may only happen in a star,

No I didn't. I said it may only happen in Nature - near a star.

... what about nuclear fusion we can now do that.

... but that is not "in Nature" as in: occurring naturally, and it is not the stellar kind of fusion that relies on gravity to hold the atoms together to fuse.

You want a specially shaped, very strong, magnetic field.
That is an engineering problem - the physics is already known.