theory

[Deadpangod3]

its just a theory...

edit:

since the pic wont work:

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=magnet+car&sa=X&rlz=1W1TSHB_enUS321US321&biw=1024&bih=400&tbm=isch&tbnid=zOl-CsDpXxMsGM:&imgrefurl=https://forum.kag2d.com/threads/can-you-make-a-car-out-of-magnets.6679/&docid=byVVhJ_um7k_9M&imgurl=https://forum.kag2d.com/attachments/tumblr_lbp158unxw1qehfnho1_500-jpg.6746/&w=492&h=428&ei=swnDUeG_NJHU8wS62oHoDQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=50&page=1&tbnh=161&tbnw=235&start=0&ndsp=5&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:143&tx=118&ty=96

long link

Edited June 20, 2013 by Deadpangod3

[Kialar]

We agree. Theoretically.

[Deadpangod3]

ima firing up ksp right now XD

[DChurchill]

Zero sum. The magnets would pull in opposite directions, cancelling each other.

No such animal as perpetual motion.

[Rozza_15]

No such animal as perpetual motion.

I beg pardon, good sir. Get into a vacuum, jettison one very strong electromagnet, of opposite polarity, to repel the other magnet, switch off, have the magnet be atracted back, restart. One you have achieved motion, only gravity will stop you. Newtonian physics are a god-send to theorists. Some needs to make a mod of this.

[psychopoak]

just like blowing in your sails on a boat... theoretically a good point but once it comes to experiment... nothings

[Crush]

just like blowing in your sails on a boat... theoretically a good point but once it comes to experiment... nothings

Well, you could theoretically accelerate a boat by inhaling forward and blowing backwards.

When you have a fore-and-aft-rigged ship, put the sails on half-wind, and blow into them from the center, the airstream would be directed backwards. This would generate impulse and propel the ship forward.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Crush

[Landge]

just like blowing in your sails on a boat... theoretically a good point but once it comes to experiment... nothings

I think Mythbusters proved that can work.

[Deadpangod3]

Using the giant docking ports I only get to .2 m/s before its obvious the car is just rolling down the runway cause of angle

[Nao]

KSP "FTL EGG" technology used magic magnet forces before it was cool.

[WarWyvern]

Hmm. Now that you mention it, I too am curious how much spare change you could pick up off the road using magnets.

[mk78123]

I beg pardon, good sir. Get into a vacuum, jettison one very strong electromagnet, of opposite polarity, to repel the other magnet, switch off, have the magnet be atracted back, restart. One you have achieved motion, only gravity will stop you. Newtonian physics are a god-send to theorists. Some needs to make a mod of this.

This wouldn't work. When you attract the magnet back, it will exert an equal and opposite force on your craft, pulling you towards it by the same amount that it just pushed you away before its polarity was reversed. Energy/mass and momentum will always be conserved

[DChurchill]

I beg pardon, good sir. Get into a vacuum, jettison one very strong electromagnet, of opposite polarity, to repel the other magnet, switch off, have the magnet be atracted back, restart. One you have achieved motion, only gravity will stop you. Newtonian physics are a god-send to theorists. Some needs to make a mod of this.

Still requires energy to power the electromagnet with the inevitable loss due to inefficiency in the wires, etc. You can't just hold two magnets apart by a rod and get motion without applying some other form of energy. Even in a full vacuum with no gravitational effect, that car from the OP isn't going anywhere.

This wouldn't work. When you attract the magnet back, it will exert an equal and opposite force on your craft, pulling you towards it by the same amount that it just pushed you away before its polarity was reversed. Energy/mass and momentum will always be conserved

This, too. With no external force, conservation of momentum says it ain't going anywhere.

"Linear momentum is also a conserved quantity, meaning that if a closed system is not affected by external forces, its total linear momentum cannot change. In classical mechanics, conservation of linear momentum is implied by Newton's laws; but it also holds in special relativity (with a modified formula) and, with appropriate definitions, a (generalized) linear momentum conservation law holds in electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and general relativity."

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

Edited June 20, 2013 by DChurchill

[Rage097]

I've actually been meaning to test that. Even though I know it won't work because Newtons Laws, It'd still be fun to try. And if it somehow does work...Well let's just say y'all will be thanking me.

[Pbhead]

I theorize that with careful docking magnet and timewarp abuse, this could actually be used to propel a craft.

[mk78123]

I theorize that with careful docking magnet and timewarp abuse, this could actually be used to propel a craft.

It might work in the game, just as

works in the game, but would never work in real life

[DChurchill]

Yeah some of Newtonian physics is known to be broken in KSP. They'll fix it eventually, I expect.

Edit: Meh, mk78123 beat me to it.

[idle17]

Docking ports can be placed in special configuration that provides perpetual motion.