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"Magnetic Dance" of Paperclips on Trains

By Alex in Car & Vehicle, Video Clips on Jul 16, 2009 at 1:46 am


The next time you ride a train, spill some paperclips on the floor and see if they do the "magnetic dance". According to Pink Tentacle:

The video — shot on the Rokko Liner in Kobe, Japan — shows how paperclips stand on end when the train accelerates and brakes. The magnetism, which is produced by the electric current that drives the motors located under the floor, apparently poses no harm to the human body, though it could damage credit cards, mobile phones, or other electronic devices if left on the floor.

Link | YouTube Link (from Kobe Shinbun)


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COMMENT
  1. Aaron
    Jul 16th, 2009 at 2:40 am

    This is probably a dumb question, but does it work with domestic trains, or does it have to be a specific class not found in the USA? I'll try it next time I take the metro in D.C.

  2. Joe
    Jul 16th, 2009 at 4:48 am

    I knew a guy who worked for a video company in London.

    His first day, he had to take some videos across town on the Tube. He put them on the floor. When he got to the other end they'd been pretty much wiped.

    Apparently he'd have been fine if he'd done it in the middle of the carriage, not the end. They let him keep the job.

  3. .-.
    Jul 16th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    What a wonderful video!

  4. ben thomas
    Jul 20th, 2009 at 2:31 am

    Thats really interesting but why do the paperclips stick together in the video.

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