Inertia
For many of you this page will be an introduction into the physics concept known as inertia.
TL;DR:
Inertial mass can be reduced by encompassing an object in an ordinary dipole magnetic field (a field with a north and south pole) and moving the object and its field in the direction of that field's north to south pole. Such an object will experience lower G-forces, inertia, when accelerating at the same rate as an object without such a magnetic field allowing greater overall acceleration with no increase in inertia.
Summary
To put it simply, inertia is the force you feel pushing you into your seat when you are accelerating in a car and the same force you feel when slamming on the brakes. It is the force every object feels when it is accelerating or decelerating. Albert Einstein posited that a man standing in a rocket that was accelerating vertically at 9.8m/s2 would be unable to tell the difference between standing in that accelerating rocket and standing on the planet Earth whose gravitational acceleration rate is also 9.8m/s2. Formally this correlation is known as the Equivalence Principle.
One interesting fact about the Equivalence Principle is that an object's inertial and gravitational masses are believed to be equal which results in objects of different masses falling at the same rate. This was demonstrated in the Apollo 15 Moon landing in 1971 where astronaut David Scott dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. The reason feathers fall slower on Earth is due to wind resistance. On the Moon there is no atmosphere and therefore no wind resistance.
History
The late Boyd Bushman was a Lockheed Martin Senior Scientist with many patents under his belt while at Lockheed. Bushman claimed publicly in a science email list in late 90s and in the documentary "From Here to Andromeda" that he had conducted magnet free-fall experiments from 59 feet in a Lockheed building and that they fell at different rates than ordinary objects. Bushman claimed that he repulsively coupled two magnets (two magnets that push each other away) and performed repeated free-fall experiments with it and a non-magnetic control both using tennis balls for the shells.
Bushman claims witnesses at ground level claimed over and over that the control landed first and the magnet last. There is no hard data such as measurements of the free-fall times or video recordings of the drops. Bushman did not put forward a reason for the effect nor did is there any proof that he ever discussed conducting magnet free-fall experiments with a single or two attractively coupled magnets.
Known Replication Attempts
- Robert Francis Jr – 09/14/2024 – Present
- The Action Lab – 11/05/2021
- Elio Porcelli et al – 05/01/2021
- Rob Baker – 07/28/2017
- Magnet Tricks – 06/16/2015
- William Alek – 03/12/2009
- Tom Mahood – 11/18/1999 & 12/07/1999
| Name | Magnet Grade | Dimensions | Mass (Grams) | Pulling Force (LBS) | Drop Height (Meters) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Francis Jr | N42 | 2"OD x 1"H | 380 | 205 | 2.13 |
| The Action Lab | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Elio Porcelli et al | N35 | 60mm x 20mm | 460 | *166 | 1.73 |
| Rob Baker | Unknown | 2"x1"x0.5" | Unknown | *77 | Unknown |
| Magnet Tricks | N35 | 60mmOD x 15mm H | 238 | *127 | 7 |
| William Alek | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 8.9 |
| Tom Mahood | N27 | 25.4mm x 4.75mm | 36.05 | *27.8 | 2.4 |
| Tom Mahood | N27 | 1"x1"x0.125" | 18 | *14.6 | 2.4 |
| Tom Mahood | N27 | 19mm OD x 2.57mm H | 5.36 | *7.01 | 2.4 |
- Estimated as if the Magnet was N42 rather than N27 or N35.
I, Robert Francis Jr, conducted magnet free-fall experiments with all possible coupling combinations, attractively: NS/NS and SN/SN, and repulsively: NS/SN and SN/NS. In my over 10 rounds of magnet free-fall experiments only one magnet object experienced acceleration rates higher than gravity during free-fall, the NS/NS magnet with two magnets attractively coupled and falling in the direction of the field's north to south pole and none showing the results Bushman claimed of repulsively coupled magnets falling at rates lower than gravity.
Of the known replication attempts only Tom Mahood definitively stated that he did test dropping a normal dipole magnet in the direction of its north to south pole, among other combinations, and depending on the three magnets he tested he got marginal results that could be explained by experimental error.
