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Magnetic Fields on Bumpers to Prevent Car Crashes

Q. Two other girls and I are trying to design a car with a magnetic field surrounding it for an in-class assignment. (We don't have to build it, we just have to design it and explain how it works.) We're proposing the idea that a magnetic field of the same charge around every car might prevent collisions. Do you have any suggestions of metals we should use? Would this even be probable?

Thank you,

Ayla K.
student - Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
2003

A. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I don't think it will work. Magnetic fields and computer controlled stuff (almost everything nowadays including cars) don't work well together. It pulls the stored info right out of the chips. I'm not an expert on magnets but doesn't every magnet have to have both polarities? Not to mention the fact that after you drive to the store you would get out and find fluffy hanging from the door by her collar, 10,000 paper clips and a flock of 12 year old kids with braces all stuck on ya. And then you would have people like me pulling up on your bumper on the expressway, reversing polarity, sticking to your bumper and turning the car off to save on gas money :-)

It is an interesting idea though. I've always wanted to see cars made out of Nerf foam so accidents would be fun.

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2003

Q. Hi, I'm Mario and I've been working on the concept of magnetically polarized bumpers as to prevent collisions and was surprised to hear what you guys posted. If possible I'd like to hear more how things are going. Please keep me posted. Thank you for your time.

mario j [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
inventor - las vegas, Nevada
June 4, 2014

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