3 ms·
The energy comes from the incredible magnetic force spent to align the atoms when the magnet was created, and it will be slowly exhausted over time.
by pshc 5y ago
The energy comes from the incredible magnetic force spent to align the atoms when the magnet was created, and it will be slowly exhausted over time.
- esteth 5y agoWhy would it be exhausted over time? When things come close to the magnet it uses its potential energy to pull them. When some force acts to remove those objects from the magnetic field, that energy is converted into potential in the magnet again. Are you claiming that the alignment of the magnet will fade slowly over time when the field is interacted with, more quickly than it would if it were left on a proverbial shelf for millions of years?
- pshc 5y agoYeah, that was my claim, that the atoms will slowly return to a chaotic high-entropy organization over time, and more rapidly as forces are exerted against the magnet. I guess I was wrong.
- hither_shores 5y ago> that the atoms will slowly return to a chaotic high-entropy organization over time, and more rapidly as forces are exerted against the magnet This is true, it's just not why magnets can lift things.
- drdeca 5y agoForce isn't a resource which is spent.