Re: [Phys-l] Magnetism and rust

[chuck britton <cvbritton@mac.com>]

I'll suggest that the object (magnetic or not) sitting on the steel 
table allowed a thin film of condensed water to remain trapped long 
after the rest of the table had dried off.


At 1:37 PM -0500 12/4/10, Peter Schoch wrote:
> As I was cleaning up this morning -- putting things away for winter 
> -- I discovered something unusual that I can't explain using any 
> Physics I know...
>
> I have a steel router table.  On it I have a magnetic feather-board 
> -- a strong, ceramic magnet in a holder that then has 'fins' on it 
> to keep the work being routed tight to the fence.  The table, 
> despite it being cold and damp was rust free -- EXCEPT under where 
> the magnet was!  As I lifted off the feather-board, I found a 
> perfect rust outline of the magnet inside the feather-board!
>
> Now, why would that be?  If all the other surfaces are rust-free, 
> what would cause the magnet to induce rust?  (I'm always looking for 
> practical examples of physics to show/describe to my students.)
>
> Any suggestions are appreciated,
> Peter
>
>
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