I'm working on a story focused around a large electromagnet on an island. In short, a research facility is established on a remote island to house the electromagnet and conduct tests in secret. I'd like to explore the possibilities of what's possible with sufficiently strong magnets and the implications of stationing human life around them.
I'd like the magnet to be originally properly shielded, but then have that shielding break, leading to a large magnetic field strong enough to "pull in" any planes and boats that get somewhat close to the island. So… pretty strong.
Questions:
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What could you actually do with a magnet that strong? Are there any (benevolent or not) uses?
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What are the health implications for workers on the island? Obviously, no metalwork in the body (pacemakers, hips, etc) and no phones/etc within the initial shielding, but… is it harmful to be exposed to strong magnetic fields for a long time? Anyone know the effects there?
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Am I correct in assuming that some kind of shielding around the magnet would keep the field "in" without it affecting the rest of the island? If so, would it also be possible to increase the power of the magnet enough to "get past" that shielding and, for example, crumple the entire research facility around the magnet and destroy the magnetic shields in the process?
Really, any other relevant or cool info you know about magnets is also appreciated. :)
@andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) I know this is very very late but uh here we go. Well for one, an electromagnet is very powerful. And from what I gather from an experiment I did a while back, was that if the electromagnet is strong enough and put in a fixed point, while small precious metal magnets rotated around it, it is possible to create an energy field similar to a forcefield, let alone it creating its own power source that's noiseless, and unlimited. But there is a downside. If the small magnets are not controlled, they will start spinning faster and faster until they create a vortex of nothing but super cooled air. This in turn will eventually stop the magnets becauee they'll freeze and shatter, moat likely destroying everything around it. Strong magnetic fields on humans for long durations can make one feel dizzy, disoriented, and physically sick. It's kinda like the music that's designed to cause pain. If the vibrations and the frequency coming off the electromagnet are strong enough and at just the right frequency, blood can quite literally boil as the iron in your blood tries to escape. Killing the person in the process. (Think veins go boom) It can also make reality seen be warped, and disfigured. So for stopping the electromagnetic field, bismuth would do it, but so would water. Water is 20 times less resistant than bismuth, so bismuth is the best bet. So you'd need less bismuth. You could break the containment field either by boosting the electromagnet, or by not stopping/controlling the small magnets revolving around it. They'll shatter, and go through things at untold velocities. That alone can destroy the facility leading to the electromagnet doing some serious chaos.
