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Question about magnetism

Heh, I'll leave it to you- I no longer live near any train tracks. However, I will state that my father and I experimented rather extensively with trolly cars, and found that the cable cars in San Francisco made a nice double-width half-thickness penny, but the trollys (electrical, and perhaps twice the size) flattened it out until you couldn't see Lincoln's head any more. I'll be interested to see your results- but please be careful! :)
 
Chewing gum. Stops the penny vibrating off the rail as the train approaches.

On the original topic, work hardening applies to most metals, also to a lot of minerals, like the complex silicates. The Wikipedia article is quite good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_hardening

On the original topic, I think the whole business of "orientation"whether to ley lines or the Earth's magnetic field is a red herring.
The process is an internal, mechanical one, which as MRC_Hans pointed out, affects existing magnetic domains in the metal.
It will not always happen, but it definitely does sometimes. The past history of the metal itself is a major factor.
 
Pennies on tracks, ahh, the memories. When I was a kid, I lived near a street-car (trolley) end-station. You know, it would come off the street and into a loop, then go back in the opposite direction. A street-car weighed about 15 tons, and usually consisted of two wagons (nowadays, they have been replaced with buses). We used to put all sorts of things on the tracks, and anything of metal was nicely flattened, even steel pins or needles.

Mmm, we have a small local train, much like a diesel-driven trolley running nearby where I live now, maybe.... nah.

Hans
 
When you observe the test make sure that you test the screwdriver for magnetism both before and after the striking. Many screwdrivers are manufactured as magnetic.
 
hodgy said:
When you observe the test make sure that you test the screwdriver for magnetism both before and after the striking. Many screwdrivers are manufactured as magnetic.
Click to expand...
Arrhg! It's silly pedantry like this that makes life unberable for the honest woo.

Yeah, yeah, I'm just trying to reach 6K posts.

Hans
 
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