Hydromagnetic Effects Under Conditions of Localized Thermal Instability.

Thermal convection experiments were conducted in an attempt to explain previously observed hydromagnetic effects in silver patterns deposited on glass. Convective regions were produced in alcohol and alcohol-powder mixtures by locally heating with the poles of permanent magnets. Optical and weightdifference techniques were developed to compare observed differences in the convection process over the pole regions of the magnet. These phenomena suggested electric charge effects within the liquid, and the results were found to agree with the basic electrodynamics of charges moving in a magnetic field. These force effects on charged particles also provided an explanation for the observed differences in the silverdeposit patterns. The earth's magnetic field was found to have an effect on the localized convection process. The difference over the pole regions was most pronounced when the magnet poles were aligned in the same position as the geomagnetic poles of the earth.