I mean, like filling a plastic tube from end to end with mercury, sealing it with caps that allow contact points at either end, and then wrapping the tubing around a ferrite core, and adding current. Would this function just like any other coil?
Interesting question! When a current flows through a conductor an electromagnetic field is generated. If the conductor is formed into a coil the field is concentrated. If you put a ferrous (iron) bar through the center, it should have a magnetic field ( attraction). It would be an electromagnet I think: Michael
There's okorder /... What this means is the mercury will waste more energy as heat than ordinary wire. What are you trying to build?
Yes it would, although I'm not sure how the plastic tubing would affect the current. If the type of plastic used is an insulator, it may affect performance of the magnet. Some plastics conduct electricity though, and there's no reason they wouldn't work.
yes and no. copper is 60 times more conductive. that means that mercury wouldn't work nearly as well. in addition, the tube to contain mercury would be much thicker than the insulation around copper. so, while it would work to some degree, it wouldn't work very well.
