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Hover cars, or "hovering" in general. And not hovering via extreme flow of air... We've all seen them in the movies, hover cars flying around, kids riding 'hover' forms of skate boards. We can assume that it is in our future. But do you think it will ever happen? Perhaps this has to do with the laws of physics. Is it even possible?

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I think it is possible... In a long time unless:

They use magnets against each other or air flow.

I think hovering without magnets or air would require something to generate gravity. Otherwise, I don't know.

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I think it is a possibility. Especially with the advancement in Quantum Magnetics. I've always imagined a sort of Railway underground that could provide opposite attraction. It would make things much safer... not only could you travel at faster speeds...you could stop on a dime.

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The MagLev train uses magnets. It's the fastest train in the world.

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many years ago when i knew less about physics i thought that they should pave all roads with permanent magnet, then when you turned on your vehicle it would have an electromagnet which would make it levitate up off the road. then i thought there might be problems if one country had north-pole roads and you drove a car from there to a neighboring country with south-pole roads--you'd stick right to it!

anyway magnetism is probably the way to go, but i think at this point it's too expensive.

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Of course you have to think about side effects too... those magnets would have to be quite powerful right? So, imagine what would happen to your computers if one of those roads runs right next to your office? How is it with MagLev? Why doesn't it interfere with nearby electronic devices? Is the rail just far enough from anything else or is it somehow protected?

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I never thought of that.

The mangets are not just magnets, they are electromagnets, I know that. SO the thing has to have electricity to energize the coils to run.

You can find some pretty good information on how it works at http://travel.howstuffworks.com/maglev-train1.htm.

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I read somewhere that the field-strength generated by a MagLev is less than most household appliances since it is restricted to a very small area between track and train. Apparently, the entire track does not have to be generating a field at all times - only the area under the vehicle is induced. AFAIK I know, permanent magnets are not used because they're too heavy - under research.

Still, there are many more issues to be sorted out before I can have a superconductive road running through my backyard. . . what if it rains? or two guys spill limejuice and baking soda* at opposite ends of the road while some unsuspecting engineering fresher has been dared to touch his tongue to it! . There just are toooo many ways to get electrocuted.

Light Propultion is another intresting option. . . Not exactly what the name might imply - it has more to do with heating the air below the craft with a LASER for thrust. Maybe some day photon propultion will be an option as well. After all we already have Solar Sails.

- Alternate

*baking soda is a base right?

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hey thanks for the link

and yes, baking soda is a base

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 AlternateLifeform


Oh yeah, those are neat.

Have you ever seen one of those solar sail things in a jar? They spin when you put solar energy on it.

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As far as magnetic interference, im sure they can make something like a magnetic barrier, that limits the magnetic field. Like a magnetic shield via censors, or satelite maybe? I think if they got something like that working, that any interference it may cause would be considered as a smaller and simpler thing to deal with

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I found this on the net:
Conclusions of the workshop titled: "Verification of the (electro)magnetic fields and possible health effects due to the magnetic levitation high-speed train Transrapid held in The Hague on October 22nd2001.

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Anyone ever hear of something called the Flying Platform? It was an invention around WWII that was supposed to carry an armed person over any terrain. The development was stopped because the device was too stable in flight when a solider fired their rifle. Well, someone took up the idea and renamed it the Hummingbird. It has more up to date technology in it and provides better flight than the original. The cost of ripping out all the roads in the world and making them work with magnetics is something no country would buy into. I always liked the hover car or Flying platform idea. Take a look at it here. http://www.usbusiness.com/helicopter/Hummingbird.htm

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Well, with already existing technologies, there's also the hovercraft. Unfortunately it is levitated by 'extreme flow of air'. Also the harrier - the only VSTOL aircraft I know of that has been put to active military use. I have little idea how it works, but I have no doubt it uses Newtons third law in some way or the other.

What about the earth's natural magnetic field? Static electricity can cause paper to stick to a plastic comb, that's a natural force. Maybe someday we'll have 'eco-friendly' all terrain MagLevs that use the earth's natural Magnetic Forces.

Come to think about it, if we had enough power, maybe we could use the surrounding magnetic fields of stars and generate a magnet strong enough to move the earth! Perhaps someday when our sun is dieing, the future residents of this planet will be seeking out a new star with supermagnets propelling the planet through space!

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Let's not forget about the amazing floating world clock. Awesome. :[ How I wish I had one of those!

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the harrier can hover by angling its engines so that the thrust is pointed at the ground. the wings are generating no lift at that point, and it can't sit that way for too long because the engines are doing a lot more work than they would be if it were actually flying.

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There is some good information about hovercraft and its principals at DiscoverHover. Some curriculum guides and experiments.

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wow, over a year later- topic still up.

i think the hovering via mass air flow is not the answer for smaller objects that might transport people, like a skateboard

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ONE DAY I WAS THINKING OF THE FUTURE AND HOW CARS WERE GOING TO BE. OF COURSE IN THE MOVIES AND STUFF THERE ARE FLYING CARS.SO I WAS THINKING OF HOW THEY WOULD FLY AND I THOUGHT OF MAGNETS. THERE WOULD BE A MAGNET UNDER A THIN ROAD AND A MAGNET UNDER THE CAR. THEY WOULD BE TO WHERE THE MAGNETS REPEL. THEY WOULD GO BY STORED ELECTRICITY AND A LITTLE MOTOR THAT RUNS ON THE ELECTRICITY, NOT GASOLINE. WELL , DONT TAKE MY IDEA! BY THE WAY, I AM AN 11 YEAR OLD GIRL!

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I THINK THAT IT TOATALLY POSSIBLE. WAS IT REALLY COMPUTERS IN THE MOVEI "BACK TO THE FUTURE" OR WAS IT ELECTRO MAGNETICS?
NOW THAT IS A qUESTION ISNT IT?
11 YEAR OLD GRL