The questions-you-feel-you-ought-to-know-the-answer-to Thread

[classic33]

But what is the magnetic field composed of, and what causes the physical force ?

Excited photons

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Excited photons

Light, hmm?

Take a magnet in space, does it still work?

 

[classic33]

Light, hmm?

Take a magnet in space, does it still work?

When you go, take one with you.

 

[Chris S]

Why do dogs lick their er hum, 'bits'

Because they can

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Do cats dream in colour?

 

[Edwardoka]

But what is the magnetic field composed of, and what causes the physical force ?

Magnetic fields use photons, the same as light - it's transmitted by waves.
AFAIK the physical force is a result of the universe wanting to equalise differences in charge, which is about as good an answer as "It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Use the force, Luke"

From watching far too much youtube, there are five fundamental forces that bind matter together in the universe:
- gravity (mass attracting mass by causing space and time to bend (This is what happens when you let mathematicians and physicists get drunk together)
- electromagnetism
- weak nuclear force (something quantum which I steer well clear of out of fear of having my brain scrambled by funny made up words like "quark" and "muon" and animal cruelty involving placing bets on radioactive cats)
- strong nuclear force (the attractive force that keeps the subatomic particles in atoms together)
- the US military when it learns of a country with oil

 

[Edwardoka]

Excited photons

Damnit, ninja'd.

 

[Edwardoka]

Do cats dream in colour?

Do YOU dream in colour? How come it's impossible to read while dreaming?

 

[Andy in Germany]

But what is the magnetic field composed of, and what causes the physical force ?

Excited photons

Take a magnet in space, does it still work?

No, space is too boring.

 

[classic33]

No, space is too boring.

You've been!

 

[Edwardoka]

Light, hmm?

Take a magnet in space, does it still work?

We're on the surface of a giant magnet in space.
If they didn't work, compasses would be useless. *

Spoiler

because the upper atmosphere would be stripped away by solar wind and the surface would be sterilised by solar radiation

 

[Ming the Merciless]

We're on the surface of a giant magnet in space.
If they didn't work, compasses would be useless. *

Spoiler

because the upper atmosphere would be stripped away by solar wind and the surface would be sterilised by solar radiation

But how does it work, what is the magnetic field made of?

 

[Dave7]

If you could travel on and on till you get to the end of space, what is after that?

 

[classic33]

If you could travel on and on till you get to the end of space, what is after that?

The further you go, the closer you get to the start.

 

[Edwardoka]

But how does it work, what is the magnetic field made of?

Best guess: wave-particles of energy. I don't have a good answer, unlike gravity which at least has ball+rubber sheet analogy to fall back on whenever the "it bends spacetime" answer is trotted out.