A Hypothetical Technical Question

[spacemanspiff]

My question is about force fields.
If it were possible to envelope the earth with a force field of the type you see in sci fi movies, would such a field interfere with the earths magnetic field or with the gravitational balance between the earth and it's moon.
I am not a very technical person. I am more artistic so I have no idea how far out the earths magnetic field extends or the physical properties it possesses.
Would a force field have to be based on magnetism or could it be some other force as yet unknown. So what do you think.

[01101001]

It's a fictional device that so far doesn't exist and maybe never will. How do we then answer your questions?

Wikipedia: Force field (science fiction) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_field_%28science_fiction%29)

There is currently only one scientifically valid method of creating a 'force shield': the use of electromagnetism to affect the movement of metallic objects. No power sources currently exist that could possibly create a field of sufficient strength to act as a protective device. Thus, force fields remain firmly in the realm of science-fiction.

[HenrikOlsen]

I am not a very technical person. I am more artistic so I have no idea how far out the earths magnetic field extends or the physical properties it possesses.
To infinity, but not beyond.
Or actually as many lightyears out as the number of years the earth has had a magnetic field, since the effect travels at the speed of light.

Similar with the earth's gravity, that doesn't stop either, it just becomes really really faint.

[trinitree88]

My question is about force fields.
If it were possible to envelope the earth with a force field of the type you see in sci fi movies, would such a field interfere with the earths magnetic field or with the gravitational balance between the earth and it's moon.
I am not a very technical person. I am more artistic so I have no idea how far out the earths magnetic field extends or the physical properties it possesses.
Would a force field have to be based on magnetism or could it be some other force as yet unknown. So what do you think.

Interesting, Spacemanspiff. As there are only four official forces, strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational...you only have four possibilities.
1.As HenrikOlsen and 01100101, commented...most attempts have been electromagnetic in character....and nobody has succeeded in a commercial application of note, beyond reentry vehicle heat shield plasma deformation.
2.The strong force is pretty well characterized in the Standard Model by quantum chromodynamics, and no strange effects are seen yet in particle physics or accelerator technology. In a way, the close range exchange of colored gluons between quarks in a proton, or neutron, or other baryon, or meson....binds them in the particle....and the spill-over effect binds the particles(proton and neutron) in your atoms' nuclei.(everbody else's, too).It's very short range precludes..projecting a bubble-like structure you see on Star Trek sets. In a similar way, photons in the electromagnetic force binding your electrons to your nuclei, also spill over to adjoining atoms to cause Van Der Waals forces that cause gases to liquify at low temperatures. They're both out.
3. That leaves gravity and the weak force. I'll answer that in an ATM thread for you, because I'll go out on a limb here, a bit. Pete.

[spacemanspiff]

It's a fictional device that so far doesn't exist and maybe never will. How do we then answer your questions?

Wikipedia: Force field (science fiction) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_field_%28science_fiction%29)

I realize force fields are still science fictional. I did say my question was Hypothetical. Perhaps I should be more specific. Based on what you know about the theoretical properties of a force field that if it existed would act as an energy shield how do you think it would effect the earths magnetic field or gravitational field?

[RussT]

Since you are talking about a Sci-Fi force field, I assume you are thinking about that field 'protecting' you or whatever from something.

Ist, our magnetic firld "IS" a force field and protects us daily from all kinds of different radiations.

If you have watched very much Sci-Fi, you have seen many 'different' force fields visualized, based on what they are trying to protect something or someone from.

[Nereid]

I realize force fields are still science fictional. I did say my question was Hypothetical. Perhaps I should be more specific. Based on what you know about the theoretical properties of a force field that if it existed would act as an energy shield how do you think it would effect the earths magnetic field or gravitational field?Since any such 'force field' is purely fictional, anything that you choose to make up about it - fictionally of course - will be true! :p

So, such a fictional force field could *turn gravitons into raindrops (so gravity would affect you only to the extent that the raindrops hit you); *leave the magnetic field alone (so compasses would still point more or less north).

Seriously, science works through things like consistency, repeatability, and objectivity; theories have merit only to the extent that they are internally consistent, consistent with other good theories (where their domains of applicability overlap), and (above all) are consistent with all relevant good observational and experimental results.

Thus, there is no such thing as "the theoretical properties of a force field", there are only "the theoretical properties of the force fields which successfully account for the observations made, to date" (and any - mathematical - extensions of such force fields, as made up by theoretical physicists exploring the realms of string theory, LQG, supersymmetry, ....).

[bigbluestar]

Pretty cool question. Let me first tackle gravity. It would in my opinion have no affect whats so ever on gravitational fields of the earth. In other words the moon would go around the earth as it did. The tides in the ocean's would behave as the did and all would be same in that aspect. The magnetics field is a more difficult one to answer. It depends on how this force field is doing its think. If its the manipulation of electrons and playing around with polarities there could be some interference. I would assume that it would be proportunal in some factor to how much energy you are putting into the force field. If the force field worked by releasing some gas in high orbit and you did something to it to it to change its properties and make it rigid or solid, then no there should be no change in the magnetics field. Hyperthetical answer ofcourse:D