Western Reader
Ever since the early age of the internet, memes have been a popular thing, keeping us entertained as we scroll through endless data sheets at work. However, some of them actually sparked debate, due to how ingenious they were.
One of the better-known “engineering” memes is one including a car powered by a magnet attached to the vehicle’s hood.
This is a concept so bizarre that it actually takes effort not to laugh at it, partially due to how stupid it is and, in part, due to how plausible it works.
The math is matching, so why doesn’t any car company make magnetic vehicles?
Hell, if someone were to actually make a car like this, they may just be able to cripple the entire automotive industry, leaving us gas-guzzler-driving doofuses in the dirt, with a huge emphasis on “if.”
Just getting ready for the magnet car highway future. pic.twitter.com/IZkZ62zxg0
— The Greater Marin (@theGreaterMarin) March 22, 2019
Of course, if you paid attention in high school science classes, you may already know the jig is up. No such thing is possible, mainly because that’s not how the laws of physics work.
Sure, magnets do attract when their opposite sides are facing one another. However, Newton’s 1st Law would beg to differ, at least in the case of a magnet attached to a car’s hood, as it’s technically not an outside force acting on the vehicle.
With this in mind, it’s hard to imagine how this concept would work outside of a Looney Tunes episode. Even then, one could expect to receive a lengthy explanation as to how and why magnetic cars just aren’t possible, at least in the same way they’re depicted in the iconic meme.
Levitating Magnet Technology🤯
Does this have a place in future train/car tech? Automated traffic?? pic.twitter.com/rcJs80chxg
— Business Blurb™ (@BusinessBlurbUS) March 26, 2023
Why it won’t work
Back to the drawing board! You may notice the force that magnets can exert on one another isn’t to be sneezed at; they’ve already found their application in transport, albeit not in cars.
The high-speed bullet trains from Asia are powered by magnets for the most part. While these may not be the natural magnets you’re used to seeing on your fridge, they’re equally as effective at generating a force that will push or pull an object in a certain direction.
By maintaining this constant force, the train is essentially allowed to levitate on the rail, cushioned by the magnetic force, while also removing any friction between the train and the track itself.
This allows it to reach inhuman speeds without spending a drop of gasoline.
Maglev trains, (magnetic levitation) not only the fastest but as well, the greenest and the most sustainable.#digitaltransformation #innovation #transport #mobility #environment pic.twitter.com/HgzTZdOTLt
— DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LEADERS – M. Nadia Vincent (@ITTransLeaders) June 21, 2023
Fortunately, the gasoline industry is far from crumbling. Magnetic vehicles won’t be around soon enough to see oil companies go bankrupt because everyone is being forced to switch to electric vehicles.
This article appeared in Our Patriot and has been published here with permission.
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