File talk:Ferrofluid on Magnet.jpg

I don't understand what this is a picture of. Can you explain in more detail? — Omegatron 02:36, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

This is w:Ferrofluid, on a w:magnet. :). The fluid is powerfully attracted to the magnet. See my user page for some more pictures of Ferrofluid (there are also more in my recent contribs). --Gmaxwell 04:15, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I know what ferrofluid is, but I don't understand what's going on in this picture. Is the bottom spherical part the magnet? Is it a spherical magnet? If so, why is the ferrofluid only on one end? Or is there more to the magnet outside of the image? Etc. — Omegatron 14:37, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

AH! The magnet is perfectly spherical, that sphere is at the end of a stack of other spheres, the ferrofluid is gathered exclusively around one poll. Imagine the shape of the field which is elongated because of the other magnets, with the poles at opposite sites of the spherical magnet. Because of the field slope the fluid does not gather around the center between the polls, although if any fluid made it below the middle it would have gathered at both ends... Since I poured the fluid onto the top (in an unsuccessful attempt to get pictures of that).. The magnet doesn't look completely spherical because the fluid is welling up on top. --Gmaxwell 17:40, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Aha! — Omegatron 23:07, 14 July 2006 (UTC)