On Sat, 27 Jun 2009, John Berry wrote: > >From the stationary view point a magnetic dipole would be created only if > electron drift tended not to spiral.
Then a simple spiral-shaped coil would not produce a magnetic dipole. Build the thing, see which parts of my explanation *must* be wrong. That's my whole point. "Let the experiment be made." (It's what I'm intending to do.) All reasoning is useless if it directly conflicts with a simple experiment. > Ok, so it generates a magnetic field dipole and a force would be on the ball > bearings but it would be equal and opposite at each end and so cancel. If so, then self-acting Faraday motors wouldn't turn. Some parts of my explanation aren't very open to argument, since Faraday motors do work, and are somewhat understood. What's open to argument is whether experiment will support some parts of my explanation and disprove others. > I don't yet follow the retarding metal contact point idea so I can't > comment. The current through the ball bearings would normally be perfectly radial. A retarded contact point will "bend" the radial currents slightly, so they slightly rotate, behave slightly as a coil, and create a dipole field oriented down the motor's spin-axis. (If we add a magnet to produce such a field, such a motor is well known to start spinning.) (((((((((((((((((( ( ( ( ( (O) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))) William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website billb at amasci com http://amasci.com EE/programmer/sci-exhibits amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair Seattle, WA 206-762-3818 unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci