When I was a kid I came up with this design during a long road trip. I spent the whole time thinking I was some kind of genius, because how didn’t anyone else think of this before?
You can imagine my disappointment when I got home and created my prototype.
Because you need to put it on the back and have it repel the truck forward instead of attract it forward obviously
If you ever talk to someone confused by this, maybe ask them to lightly push the front magnet in the direction it’s trying to go.
I tried that, nothing happened to the picture. why???
Huh, try putting it next to the phone
It would work if the repulsion/attraction only went in 1 direction. But since it goes both ways, they just cancel out.
Conversely, the fan version of this idea (fan blowing into a sail) does actually work. But it’s nowhere near as efficient as simply turning the fan away from the sail to push you the normal way.
What if u put the fan in the water?
There’s oxygen in water, so it could work
Well because there the whole system now becomes the ship+air/water molecules rather than just the ship + you use energy to work the fan which imparts that energy to the air/water molecules. In the end the air/water molecules literally get pushed behind so the rest of the system can move forward.
You think it would work if one end is a magnet and the other ferrous metal? I’m pretty certain it wouldn’t
Whatever happens there’s no work done as the magnet and it’s partner don’t move relative to each other. There’s force between them, but no movement.
You think it would work if one end is a magnet and the other ferrous metal?
No, because the force of attraction is still working in both directions just not as strongly as it would with two magnets.
Curse you physics
Yeah, as long as no other energy is put into the system, nothing will happen. Since the two parts are statically attached to the same object, so no additional movement or energy means no effect on the overall object.
It is basically like putting two nails in a piece of wood and stretching a rubber band between them. Nothing will happen without additional steps
Needs more magnets and some springs.
Equal AND opposite
This works in Kerbal Space Program
You could get something like this to generate thrust in theory, just not enough to move an object with this much mass and air resistance. Also all of the work is being done on the rod suspending the magnet. It’s kind of similar to ionic propulsion.
Young lady, in this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!
Did you try flipping the magnet over? If you put the two north ends together they’ll repel instead of attract.
The beauty is that you can make the mental gymnastics to make it work both ways.
If they are opposite, the magnet attracts the car which moves the magnet away creating infinite motion
If they are the same, the magnet is repelled by the car, moving it away, moving the car forward creating infinite motion
You can even do mental tricks to make the contraption go backwards: Opposites: car attacks magnet which moves the car backwards Same: magnet reppels the car which moves the contraption backwards
By your though process shouldn’t the car be going backwards?
So mount it on the back and make yourself an old-fashioned rear engine car.
Except it won’t be moving without outside force? The magnets are not getting closer from the wheels spinning
I am aware of that, I was going along with the joke.
I tried something like that when I was about ten.
I still hold feelings against the force range being so short. Too close and the wire bends. Too far and there is barely any attraction…
Ugh, I just want to break physics, let me be.
The wire/metal holding it needs to be springy and bobbing back and forth to generate the momentum, duh… Half-assed implementation I say.
Excellent! It is always nice to see people asking questions - the journey towards the answer should prove most enlightening! :-D
The magnet isn’t strong enough.
“No srsly y isnt it?”
Why would it? Think about it, would the two magnet gets closer if the wheels started rolling?
Not with that attitude they won’t.
