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Q:
what is a mag pulse engine
- user
dallas,tx,usa
A:
Honestly, I have never heard of a 'mag pulse engine,' but this does not
mean that they don't exist. The term 'mag pulse' is short for 'magnetic
pulse,' and all it means is that something uses a pulsing magnetic
field in some way. Mag pulse components are fairly common in
electronics, etc., and if you're interested, you can check out the
webpage for the
Titan Systems Corporation Pulse Engineering Division - they specialize in magnetic pulse technology.
All in all, it's fairly likely that an engine that uses a pulsing
magnetic field has been made by somebody. And if they had, it would
technically be called a 'mag pulse engine.' But it seems to me that
you're a lot more likely to hear the phrase used in a science fiction
movie, since it sounds technologically advanced.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)
Follow-Up #1: magnetic propulsion
Q:
So in theory can a mag pulse be used to create forward motion in a zero gravity environment given a large enough power supply say fusion????
- Will (age 32)
Indianapolis
A:
Certainly you can propel things with a magnetic field. For example, a big magnetic pulse will stir up eddy currents in a nearby conductor, repelling the conductor. As always for an isolated rocket, one needs some sort of momentum-carrying material to expel backwards in order to propel yourself forward. So long as you have a power supply, magnetic pulses can be used to actually do the propulsion.
Mike W.
(published on 02/04/11)
Follow-up on this answer.
