Re: Side-wise Vectors?????

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmdq-at-uol-dot-com.br> 

Tesla list wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-twfpowerelectronics-dot-com>
 >
 > Hi,
 >
 > I tried a little test today.
 >
 > I went to the local magnet deli and got a large 2.5 inch dia 1/2 inch thick
 > round magnet with a 3/4 inch center hole:
 >
 > 
http://www.wondermagnets-dot-com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0034
 >
 > It is the NdFeB type and rated at 1.21T
 >
 > http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/PB180013.JPG
 >
 > This magnet sets happily on my tube coil:
 >
 > http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/PB180010.JPG
 >
 > So how does it affect the corkscrewing?
 >
 > Without:
 > http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/PB180007.JPG
 >
 > With:
 > http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/PB180003.JPG
 >
 > It is hard to tell from the pictures, but as far as I can see first hand,
 > it makes no difference at all...  Flipping the magnet to the other side did
 > not affect anything.
 >
 > Maybe this will mean something to somebody...

My own experiments with sparks and strong magnets also indicate
absolutely no
effect. I imagine that something visible would occur only with arcs with
long
duration, where the -very weak- forces would slowly move the ionized
channel.
Stronger currents also help, surely. Not the uA currents of regular
streamers
in a small coil. There was a classical demonstration device where a
current
in an evacuated tube was made to rotate around a magnet. Maybe something
can
be reproduced with a "plasma globe", of those types that produce
continuous
arcs. Place a strong magnet close to the globe and see if something
unusual
happens.
The appearance of the streamers in the original post can possibly be
attributed
to turbulence in the rising hot air.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz