| MadSci Network: Physics |
No, the Earth's magnetic field cannot be used as an energy source. Although sometimes the figures can be impressive about the eletric field present, we should remember these numbers relate to an imense volume, and actually, the Earth's magnetic field is a weak one, weaker than any common bar magnet we use in our days. I think you want to generate a magnetic field that could be opposite to the Earth's field in order to create a vehicle that could move and "float" using this method. No, this is not possible, essentially by the same cause. Although these facts, the Earth's magnetic field is very important to life in Earth, because it blocks and deviates many particles that come from Sun, and could be harmful to life. Some investigators suggest that as the Earth's magnetic field sometimes revert its polarity, in some periods, when the field is at the minimum, there were mass extinctions in Earth. An interesting correlation about that is in Polarity Reversal and Faunal Extinction. In "Understanding the Earth", by Gass, Smith and Wilson. The Open University Press, 1972 (there should be more recent editions). Best regards Eder C. Molina eder@iag.usp.br Dept. of Geophysics Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics University of Sao Paulo BRASIL
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