Can Magnetic Fields be Reflected or Guided by Materials?

AI Thread Summary
Magnetic fields cannot be reflected by materials, but certain substances can contain and direct them, such as superconductors and mu-metal. Materials like soft iron can guide magnetic fields effectively, as they attract external magnetic fields and allow them to travel along their structure. Superconductors exhibit diamagnetism, repelling magnetic fields regardless of orientation. While twisted iron cores can shape the path of magnetic fields, they do not require coils to function effectively. Overall, while magnetic fields can be directed, they cannot be reflected or channeled by other magnetic fields at realistic strengths.
yashiekh
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Are there any materials out there that can reflect magnetic fields, or can a twisted channel be formed for them to follow?
 
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Not reflect ( that I know of )
There are materials that don't let magnetic fields through them ( superconductors or mu-metal ) and you can contain and direct a magnetic field in somthing like the soft iron core of a tansformer.
 
You can check out the different types of magnetic materials here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_materials

And yes, some materials attract magnetic fields, and others repel them.
 
Like mgb_phys, examples of this is diagmagnetism which is a property of superconductors. It will repel any kind of magnetic field no matter what orientation. You can make it follow a twisted path. Like a twisted iron core for example, the magnetic field will go through the iron core, follow the twist, providing you also wound a coil around the twisted iron core following the twist
 
gaming_addict said:
Like a twisted iron core for example, the magnetic field will go through the iron core, follow the twist, providing you also wound a coil around the twisted iron core following the twist

That's not quite accurate. A magnetic field will follow an iron core whether or not there is a coil around the core. An external magnetic field is attracted to the high-mu iron core, and then prefers to travel along inside it, as opposed to out in the air. That is the principle behind magnetic shielding, for example.
 
Could a magnetic field possible be channeled to follow a certain path by other magnetic fields?
 
I wouldn't think so, at least not at realistic field strengths.
 
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