Comment by LeepII on 26/06/2024 at 20:45 UTC

1 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)

View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Would it be possible to create a magnetic field so powerful it would actually move air? My thought is a long rail gun for orbital insertions. Several miles of magnetic rings long. Could it be possible to actually start "thinning" the air by pushing the outer shells of the N2/O2?

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Comment by mfb- at 26/06/2024 at 23:39 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Where would you expect the air to move and why? Nitrogen is technically diamagnetic so it's slightly repelled by magnetic fields, but the force is completely negligible.

Just make a vacuum tube. The exit is a bit tricky. Large plasma windows are one suggestion for the brief period where a door would need to be open.