3 ms·
The actual sphere was 20 inches, but the quality of the vacuum they were able to create is unknown. So it could be a lot less than the theoretical max of 2200lb
by sigmoid10 4y ago
The actual sphere was 20 inches, but the quality of the vacuum they were able to create is unknown. So it could be a lot less than the theoretical max of 2200lbf. You can see a picture of the original and its measurements here (they are in a museum in Munich): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdeburg_hemispheres https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdeburg_hemispheres
- rcxdude 4y agoIt could be a very poor vacuum by most standards and still have 90% of the force of a perfect vacuum. You get an impressive sealing force very quickly as soon as you can create any pressure difference.
- sigmoid10 4y agoOnly if the surface area is big enough. If you only have 1 square inch plates, even a complete vacuum would only net you 14.7 lbs of force - something most people could separate with their hands. But 10 inch side-length plates would already be impossible to separate for almost all humans, even at half atmospheric pressure between the plates.