chemestry

Melting Metal With Magnets

The Science: The copper wire has a significant amount of AC electricity running through it, causing it to act like a really strong electromagnet. In the metal slug, eddy currents form due to the magnetic field the copper wire is causing while the copper wire has high frequency AC flowing through it. The metal slug’s electric resistance causes a portion of the electric energy to turn into heat, but the heat builds up until the metal slug becomes white hot and melts.

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But this process also works in reverse too (kind of). Put some metal (or another conducting material) inside a changing magnetic field and you can actually create an electric current inside it–called induction.

What you are seeing in the video above is the result of this process of induction. With alternating current (AC) zipping through the wires, an alternating magnetic field permeates the chunk of metal. Induction occurs, and electricity begins to “flow” within it.

The electrons inside the metal bludgeon and bump each other as they flow, creating heat. Keep the process going for long enough and the heat is too much for the metal to take. The only thing holding it together is the strong magnetic field. Turn off the electricity, and you end up with a mess that you’ll need more than a paper towel for.  IF You mics dry ice with water you get this smoke which you can touch the smoke but you cant touch the dry ice video