NationStates Jolt Archive

You know, I've heard alot about how when the earth magnetic poles flip (North Becomes South and Vice Versa) that it's basically going to bring humanity on the brink of destruction, Earth is going to throw a fit blah blah blah. Anyways, What I want to ask the scientific mind here on NSG is what will really happen to the Earth, to us, and to humanity when the Earth poles flip?

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070112.html

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070112.html

Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the link.
No problem. ;)

Anyways, What I want to ask the scientific mind here on NSG is what will really happen to the Earth, to us, and to humanity when the Earth poles flip?

We'll use our Degaussing buttons a lot more for a start.

You know, I've heard alot about how when the earth magnetic poles flip (North Becomes South and Vice Versa) that it's basically going to bring humanity on the brink of destruction, Earth is going to throw a fit blah blah blah. Anyways, What I want to ask the scientific mind here on NSG is what will really happen to the Earth, to us, and to humanity when the Earth poles flip?

Well, as an physicist worth his/her/transgendered pronoun salt knows, the force on a moving charge in a magnetic field is equal to the charge times the cross product of the velocity vector and the magnetic field.

What you may not know is that the Earth is being orbited (as all planets are) by a cloud of gamma radiation particles. Gamma radiation is essentially fast-moving electrons. When the above equation F = q*(v x B) is applied to these particles, the current orientation of the magnetic field dictates that the opposite of the cross product (remember, electrons have a negative charge) will point centrifugally (away from the Earth). This is what provides the centrifugal force necessary to keep the particles orbiting.

But if the force were to be reversed, then the particles would in fact move inward, toward the Earth's surface. In essence, the Earth would be bombarded with electromagnetic radiation, instantly killing all life on the exposed surface.



^
This is funny, but probably only if you know physics.

You know, I've heard alot about how when the earth magnetic poles flip (North Becomes South and Vice Versa) that it's basically going to bring humanity on the brink of destruction, Earth is going to throw a fit blah blah blah. Anyways, What I want to ask the scientific mind here on NSG is what will really happen to the Earth, to us, and to humanity when the Earth poles flip?

Nothing because Im going to make a velcrow suit and stick to the ground. Every one else may fall off the earth unless you all make your suits now!

^
This is funny, but probably only if you know physics.

Is it something on par with "dihydrogen monoxide"? I'm guessing sunlight, or maybe the Northern Lights...

Also: What will you do for you 2000th post? That's a post a year since Jesus was born... or something like that.

I'm not a scientist, but Ive heard the magnetic poles flip every once in a while. Theyve done it before and they're gonna do it again and its compleately harmless.
The only problem is that your gonna be lost if your out hiking with a compass :rolleyes:

Is it something on par with "dihydrogen monoxide"? I'm guessing sunlight, or maybe the Northern Lights...

Also: What will you do for you 2000th post? That's a post a year since Jesus was born... or something like that.


2000th POST WEWT!!!!!
:cool: http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/party.gif
http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/partytime.gif http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/partysmiley.gif http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/bdaywink.gif http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/bdaysmile.gif http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/bdaybiggrin.gif http://smilies.vidahost.com/otn/party/tuut.gif :fluffle: :fluffle:

I was so ready for that ...

Anyway ... yeah ... well, my physical reasoning is flawed in an amusing fashion.

The Aurora Borealis is actually due to charged particles moving along magnetic field lines. But they won't kill us. Well, not according to some, anyway. If the magnetic field actually becomes zero at some point during a reversal, then yes, we could be screwed. But we're not really sure if it will.

well it's in the geological record, in the rocks, that it has happened, multiple times, but i'm not quite sure how closely it's been determined as to how long it takes.

i don't even know for sure if life had existed on this planet yet the last time it had happened. it's one of those sort of unknown things in the sense we know it has happend and is thus likely to again. but i don't believe anyone really knows what, if any, signifigant effects it might have, other then reversing which direction the pointer on a compass is going to point.

this may or may not affect migratory birds. i really don't see how or why, unless it happens over a short enough period of time to generate an emp, it's likely to signiffigantly affect ANYTHING other then migratory birds and which way a magnetic compass points. and if it does generate an electromagnetic pulse, that just means most of us will probably have to go out and buy new computers before we can get back on line.

other then that, i don't really see this as having any high probability of any sort of signifigant effects on living organisms, such as our own, at all.

'worst' effect i can think of it prossibly having is a temporary interfierance with reproductive cycles. but there's no reason to expect this or even the effects of this to be anything so drastic as to make any sort of big deal out of it.

=^^=
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