Electromagetic movement of water

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An electromagnetic field can move water, but the strength required is substantial, making it impractical for small applications like tabletop fountains. Attempts to achieve this have been made, such as with prototype ships using superconducting electromagnets, but they achieved minimal movement. A more feasible approach might involve inducing an electric current in the water, which could be done by placing electrodes in the flow and using an external magnetic field. However, safety concerns arise with this method, and adding salt to the water may be necessary to increase conductivity. Overall, creating a magnetic water feature is challenging, and alternative gift ideas may be more suitable.
voltronforce
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Hi.

I was wondering how strong an electromagnet would have to be to move water, such as a low stream from a tap or something..

I searched the forum a bit to the answer to this, and while i did discover that an electromagnetic field of sufficient strength will move water, the strength required was not described.

The reason i ask is because i was thinking of making a modification to one of those tabletop water feature fountains as a gift idea. Is this even possible? Is there a better way? Or should i just go with a voucher or something...

Thanks in advance.
 
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voltronforce said:
Hi.

I was wondering how strong an electromagnet would have to be to move water, such as a low stream from a tap or something..

I searched the forum a bit to the answer to this, and while i did discover that an electromagnetic field of sufficient strength will move water, the strength required was not described.

The reason i ask is because i was thinking of making a modification to one of those tabletop water feature fountains as a gift idea. Is this even possible? Is there a better way? Or should i just go with a voucher or something...

Thanks in advance.
Moving water magnetically just isn"t going to happen. Try to find a different gift :o)
 
It takes an enormous amount of power. A prototype ship was built using this idea (think: "The Hunt for Red October"). It used massive superconducting electromagnets and was only able to move at 2 mph.
 
Cool. Back to the drawing board then.. Thanks for the help guys.
 
One possibility would be to induce an electric current through the steam of water, now you may be able to move the water by varying an external magnetic field.

The quesion would be how to induce the current... safely.
 
You put electrodes in the water between the magnet poles. The electrodes have to be perpendicular to the wate flow.

I believe and old microwave oven magnet would work. You may have to put salt in the water to get enought current. I believe on the order of an amp
 

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