Official News page 3

FOLLOW-UP: MAGNETIZED HOUSES

by Hazed

In last week's Star I told you about two couples who were living in magnetized houses, and I said that I couldn't see how the problem could be solved.

It turns out there is a way, as Alan smugly informed me after he read his copy of the news - although how practical it would be, or how expensive, I don't know.

He says:

Actually there is a solution. It was developed during the Second World War to demagnetize ships so they wouldn't set off magnetic mines. It uses a property called magnetic hysteresis. If you are interested in the gory details have a look here.

In practical terms what you have to do is to wrap lots of turns of heavy duty electric cable round the house to make a big electromagnet, pass a large alternating current through it and slowly reduce the current to zero. When you finish all the ferromagnetic materials in the house will no longer be magnetized.

Don't try this yourself without a grownup present!

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