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  • Rangeball

    Oct. 25, 2008 8:42 p.m. Rangeball New Reader

    Not really off topic but I thought I would put it here anyways. This might be silly (probably stupid) but I had an idea. Just curious to see what some other out of the box ideas might be out there.

    Ok, here is the idea: magnets on the bottom of the car. What I think it could accomplish: using the force of a magnet to push the car up offsetting the weight of the car making it easier on tires, engines, and gas mileage. I know it sounds silly especially since magnets won't really work on the road surface and the force necessary to actually push a car up would probably be offset by the weight of the magnets themselves.

    Like I said, out of the box. Curious to hear what other ideas the board had thought of but hadn't posted. If nothing else, you can ignore this thread.

  • procker

    Oct. 25, 2008 8:45 p.m. procker New Reader

    So earthworms digest earth and stuff right? I would imagine they eat through other malleable and digestible materials too...food scrap, organic material etc...so why not dump lots of earthworms or other similar insects onto trash dumps and landfills?...i think it might work...maybe?

  • Keith

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:00 p.m. Keith UltraDork

    Rangeball, I'd turn your magnets over. Magnetic downforce!

  • Tommy Suddard

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:08 p.m. Tommy Suddard

  • rebelgtp

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:25 p.m. rebelgtp HalfDork

    ummm wouldn't magnets large enough to displace that kind of weight be kinda on the hefty side?

  • Rangeball

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:37 p.m. Rangeball New Reader

    Tommy Suddard wrote:

    That is hilarious!

  • EastCoastMojo

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:41 p.m. EastCoastMojo HalfDork

    How about we fill our tires with helium to make our rotational mass lighter?

  • kabel

    Oct. 25, 2008 9:45 p.m. kabel Dork

    deny the "box" even exists

  • neon4891

    Oct. 25, 2008 10:54 p.m. neon4891 Dork

    be a real rebel, go "in" the box, as "out" has been done to death

  • EastCoastMojo

    Oct. 25, 2008 10:59 p.m. EastCoastMojo HalfDork

    Did you just tell him to "go" in the box?

  • Alonso

    Oct. 25, 2008 11:07 p.m. Alonso New Reader

    Bolt on the front and rear sub frames from a Miata onto a box. Preferably a sturdy box.

  • Wally

    Oct. 26, 2008 1:29 a.m. Wally UltraDork

    Like this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation_train

  • bludroptop

    Oct. 26, 2008 3:34 a.m. bludroptop Dork

    MAGLEV train:

    ODU project: http://www.physics.odu.edu/~weinstei/srhr/maglev-1/talberts.htm

  • Rangeball

    Oct. 26, 2008 12:35 p.m. Rangeball New Reader

    Wally wrote:

    Like this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation_train

    I read through that wikipedia page. The economics of the magnetic train are staggering. The costs just don't justify the means though.

    This reminds me of another idea my Dad had. Since the costs to build train tracks are absurd, why not use part of the existing highway system to build an elevated train system. Use the magnet trains there. Heck, even have stations where you can load your car onto the train and take a cross country trip, with your car!

    Taking that last idea further; use the magnetic train tracks as a conductor of electricity from city to city. I.e. make the train track like a power cable...

    Sorry, these are rambles in my brain. I am tired of doing financial and cost accounting hw.

  • curtis73

    Oct. 26, 2008 1:47 p.m. curtis73 Reader

    I think we should put minimum security inmates to work by having them sort through dumps and pull out recyclables.

  • curtis73

    Oct. 26, 2008 1:50 p.m. curtis73 Reader

    Keith wrote:

    Rangeball, I'd turn your magnets over. Magnetic downforce!

    Or have it be selectable... or progressive! Have it provide a neutralizing force on the highway, but as you turn the wheel it progressively polarizes to pull downward the more you turn.

    The problem I have with adding upforce on the highway is stability. Cars are designed for a slight downforce to keep the tires planted. Anyone who has driven a Tercel or a Tempo at 90 mph knows the white-knuckle experience of driving a car with upforce.

  • Jay

    Oct. 26, 2008 3:29 p.m. Jay HalfDork

    Making a car partially levitate with magnets won't help fuel economy or engine wear at all; those things are caused by the mass of the car which doesn't change regardless of its "weight."

    I like the magnetic downforce idea though. When I was a kid I had some toy cars with magnets in the bottom that could sit on metal walls or ceilings. That would be pretty sweet in a real car; need a hell of a magnet to do it though!

    J

  • seann

    Oct. 28, 2008 12:29 p.m. seann Reader

    procker wrote:

    So earthworms digest earth and stuff right? I would imagine they eat through other malleable and digestible materials too...food scrap, organic material etc...so why not dump lots of earthworms or other similar insects onto trash dumps and landfills?...i think it might work...maybe?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio_Remediation

    Also when I was a kid my mom always had a compost pile in the back yard that she would keep stocked with earth worms. It's true I was a little embarrassed to be the only one of my friends who's family threw their food trash in their back yard.

  • Mental

    Oct. 28, 2008 12:47 p.m. Mental UltraDork

    procker wrote:

    So earthworms digest earth and stuff right? I would imagine they eat through other malleable and digestible materials too...food scrap, organic material etc...so why not dump lots of earthworms or other similar insects onto trash dumps and landfills?...i think it might work...maybe?

    Oh it works. They did an experiment at Wright Pat AFB a while ago.

    http://www.springerlink.com/content/p0t8xmm88045j222/

    From the rumour I heard it worked much better than they thought it would.

  • JmfnB

    Oct. 28, 2008 1:07 p.m. JmfnB UltimaDork

    Mu idea was a modified MAGLEV train but instead of building the track up high build it so that the train runs in a canal with a retractable top, the train is bullet shaped front and rear and the retactable roof sections run up along the sides of the train to allow the train to travel with a low CG and keep the tracks free of livestock/vehicles/whatnot as the train passes through the section is tosses impediments off the cover. To stop children and livestock from attempting to play "jump to the moon" an electrical pulse will be employed if more than X lbs is applied to any individual section of the cover for more than enough time to cross over safely. The train would be solar powered with geothermal powering the trackside supply.

 

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