Don’t mind me, I am just a mad man who thinks mad things when I lay awake in bed….
I really haven’t thought of magnetism much since I was a child even though I am an electronics tech and design engineer. Lately, however magnetism has been on my mind since discovering the alternative cosmology known as The Electric Universe theory, or Plasma Cosmology.
The company that I work for uses magnetism is many of our products and even make magnets and magnetic coils as audio pick-ups in the instruments that we build. Making a magnet is easy really, a piece of steel or iron can be magnetized and stay that way for a short period of time simply by rubbing them with a magnet (there are other ways too.) Hard or “permanent magnets” are made of metal compounds under high heat and pressure. These types of metals can be magnetize, or activated by a short burst of high energy from a device similar to the power supply for neon lighting system. Once the electrons are jostled, they produce a magnetic field that lasts for decades or even centuries. We have some that after 50-60 years are still functioning with little loss in magnetism.
But none of this tells us what magnetism is. Well, according to Wikipedia; “Magnetism is a property of materials that respond to an applied magnetic field.” OK….but what does this really tell us? Not much simply because magnetism is the attraction that the magnetic field has on mater that can be influenced by a magnetic field. Well, that doesn’t tell us much either because everything can be influenced by a magnetic field, just some much more than others. As an example, aluminum to most who have played with a magnet would seem to not be attracted to magnets. Well not completely true, it can be but it requires a very very strong magnetic field. The more conductive metals or soft metals are highly resistant to magnetic fields if the word resistant even applies, after all the inverse of resistance is conductance. But again, this tells us nothing about magnetism.
Magnetic field? Sure, we all heard of that before. But what is it? Again from Wikipedia; “Magnetic fields are produced by moving electric charges and the intrinsic magnetic moments of elementary particles associated with a fundamental quantum property, their spin. In special relativity, electric and magnetic fields are two interrelated aspects of a single object, called the electromagnetic field tensor; the aspect of the electromagnetic field that is seen as a magnetic field is dependent on the reference frame of the observer. In quantum physics, the electromagnetic field is quantized and electromagnetic interactions result from the exchange of photons.”
WHAT?
Well, basically magnetic fields are produced by the motion of electrons. All matter is made up of atoms that have at least one or more electrons spinning around in orbits like planets around a star, (but not quite.) This should then have you asking; “if matter has electrons in motion, then all mater should have a magnetic field associated with it.” Go to the head of the class.
When we hear scientists and engineers talk about magnetic fields they will speak of lines of force. The lines of force are seen when iron dust is sprinkled around a magnet, right? Well lines of force are simply a graphical way to look at the action that takes place within the magnetic field and are not really lines but are represented by vectors as the magnetic field is a continuum. A continuum? You mean like the “Q” continuum in Star Trek? Gee, I don’t know. That’s science fiction. However, here is a quote from thefreedictionary.com;
- A continuous extent, succession, or whole, no part of which can be distinguished from neighboring parts except by arbitrary division.
- Mathematics:
a. A set having the same number of points as all the real numbers in an interval.
b. The set of all real numbers. - A continuous series or whole, no part of which is perceptibly different from the adjacent parts.
So What Is It?
We have mater, however mater is really just molecules arranged into different forms, based on atoms that are arranged into different forms, based on energy that is arranged into different forms……….. Then we have space. Space is a conundrum in it self, which I will have to touch on at some point in this diatribe spewing from my sleep deprived mind.
So what is the Magnetic Continuum? Is there a separate continuum that exists within space? Or is the magnetic field like gravity in that mater effects space giving us what we call gravity, so to the movement of electrons in some way influence space where the magnetic field is the result? If this latter part is true, then there is no continuum called the magnetic field, just space in its many weird aspects. Before I go any further I must express something here about space. When I use the term space, I don’t mean the classical term meaning “Outer Space” but what is referred to by many as, the “fabric” of the universe. Space exists “everywhere” (even within us) and is believed to be the medium which all the universe, all that we know and experience is built upon, or built from, or what ever…
The interesting thing about space is that even empty space is not empty. Space is full of energy and virtual particles (again energy) constantly popping in and out of existence, (which has caused me to ask a side line question; is this dark energy and dark matter? Shouldn’t the averaging of these virtual particles cause a measurably gravitational effect within the universe? Can these virtual particles create a conduit of sorts that allows electrons to flow in channels within empty space?)
Sorry. See what I mean, its an undisciplined mind that I have….
Anyway, my basic question is this: As all mater is made up of atoms with electrons (quantum particles, i.e. energy) and if electron movement effects space giving us the effect of a magnetic field, taking into regard the electric universe model, (sorry, but I will let you read up on that one,) can objects moving through space, (some having their own magnetic fields btw,) cause or create either magnetic fields or electron flow within the surrounding space? (wow, outa breath…) How would such a model (dynamo) be described within a solar system? How about within a galaxy or galactic structures and galactic super structures? Or should I just go back to sleep?
Good night!