Experimenting with Water and Magnet: Comments Welcome

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around an experimental proposal involving the interaction between water and a magnet. Participants explore the feasibility of the initial experiment, which involves dropping a magnet into water and measuring the height of the water's reaction. The conversation evolves to consider modifications to the experiment, including the introduction of electrolytes and electric current in the water.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes dropping a strong magnet into water and measuring the height of the water's reaction, questioning whether varying the drop height would affect the results.
  • Another participant challenges the choice of using a magnet, asking how its effects would differ from those of a rock.
  • A different participant asserts that pure water would not react to a magnetic field, suggesting that only minerals in the water could potentially show any effect.
  • After consulting with a teacher, the original poster modifies the experiment to include electrolytes and electric current, aiming to measure the time it takes for the magnet to fall through the water.
  • One response advises against sending current through the water, suggesting an alternative method involving a copper pipe to measure the magnet's fall without water interference.
  • Another participant echoes the suggestion of using a copper pipe and emphasizes the importance of measuring the magnet's weight and field strength before conducting the experiment.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the feasibility and design of the experiment. Some believe the original concept is flawed, while others propose modifications. There is no consensus on the best approach or the expected outcomes of the experiment.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions regarding the properties of water and magnets, the influence of electrolytes, and the complexities introduced by electric currents. The discussion remains open-ended with unresolved questions about the experimental setup.

cibui
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So, i am considering to do experiment on water and magnet for my research paper. So what i am planning to do is, i will drop a strong magnet on the water from a particular height and i will record down the height of the 'jumping' water due to contact with the magnet upon landing on water. So what i want to know is, if i vary the height of the magnet from the water, would the height of the 'jumping' water vary as well? Or is there any possible variable which i can change to get a nice graph? Or even, do you think this is even a doable experiment?

Comments and recommendations are highly appreciated. THanks
 
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Why a magnet? Why do you think a magnet dropped into water will produce a different result than say a rock.
 
i believe that pure H20 would have no reaction from a magnetic field.

The only possible reaction would be that of MINERALS in the water. Unless the water itself had a very large composition of minerals that could be affected by a magnetic field, you will not see any difference at all.

Do i think it's a doable experiment ? No. Water as we know it ( consumable by humans ) wouldn't be affected by a magnet in this world. Or at least to a level that you can actually test.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
So, i just consulted with my teacher, and i modify my experiment a bit. I will still be using neodymium magnet and drop it down to a tube of water. The water will be added with electrolytes, such as salt or acid, and i will pass electric current through water. So, the water will act as a resistor. So, what i want to measure is, how long does it take for the magnet to fall down to the bottom of the tube filled with water with different values of current/voltage.

So, what about his new concept?? do you think this experiment is better or what? Comments and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
 
cibui said:
So, what about his new concept?? do you think this experiment is better or what? Comments and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Don’t send any current through the water, this will only complicate things.

Perhaps do this experiment in a slightly different way. Establish first the exact weight and field strength of the magnet and the electrical resistance of a copper pipe. Then drop the magnet in this pipe without any water. Record time taken and work out its speed. This should give you some idea of currents and voltage generated in side the copper. Note that there are 2 opposing currents operating!
Then insert this copper pipe inside a bigger plastic pipe and fill the space in between the pipes with salty water. The magnet should fall slower and you should be able to calculate its resistivity.

This way you can do your experiment without having to deal with any of the other properties of water which will only interfere with the results. You could of course also skip the copper pipe experiment and just use 2 plastic pipes with water between them.

Now find a way to completely stop the magnet from falling without the use of any external equipment. That would make my day!:devil:
 
Per Oni said:
Don’t send any current through the water, this will only complicate things.

Perhaps do this experiment in a slightly different way. Establish first the exact weight and field strength of the magnet and the electrical resistance of a copper pipe. Then drop the magnet in this pipe without any water. Record time taken and work out its speed. This should give you some idea of currents and voltage generated in side the copper. Note that there are 2 opposing currents operating!
Then insert this copper pipe inside a bigger plastic pipe and fill the space in between the pipes with salty water. The magnet should fall slower and you should be able to calculate its resistivity.

This way you can do your experiment without having to deal with any of the other properties of water which will only interfere with the results. You could of course also skip the copper pipe experiment and just use 2 plastic pipes with water between them.

Now find a way to completely stop the magnet from falling without the use of any external equipment. That would make my day!:devil:

hey, that's great idea...
i am going to try that soon
thanks a lot for the suggestions
 

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