Does a magnetic field occupy space?

Answer 1

I believe your argument is trying to disprove the statement: "two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time". A magnetic field is a wave, not an object, hence it has no mass, hence, it cannot occupy space.

Answer 2

First I'll answer the simplistic question. Then, I'll try to give you a little more understanding of what's going on.

A magnetic field is a way of representing varying magnetic potential. A magnetic flux line represents a line of equal magnetic potential. Something affected by a magnetic field (mainly ferromagnetic materials like iron, and moving charges) would be affected the same way no matter where it is along that line. This line is no more real than the Equator. Move toward or away from the Equator and you just have a little more or less latitude.

As any other force field, it 'occupies' space only in the sense that it has properties which vary as you move through space. You can shield electric and magnetic fields but you can't shield a gravitational field.

As you start to talk about two pieces of matter occupying the same space at the same time, things get more complicated. As two atoms approach each other, their electron clouds begin to repel each other, so the electrons are more often found outside the space between the atoms than inside. As the atoms approach closer, the electrostatic repulsion between the positively-charged nucleii increases as the inverse square of their distance. But then electrons begin to discover they can achieve a lower energy state by orbiting both nucleii than by orbiting the original nucleus. You have now formed a chemical bond between the two atoms. But such a chemical bond isn't strong enough to force the like charges even closer.

What about a collection of uncharged particles? That's what you get with a neutron star. Their structure, and the forces at work within them, are not well understood. Gravity is very weak and has limited influence. The strong and weak nuclear interactions/forces are also not well understood. As the distance between hadrons increases, the residual strong force goes from strongly repulsive to strongly attractive, then decreases rapidly with further distance. This seems to be the main factor determining the distance between neighboring hadrons. Perhaps something unknown to us could allow hadrons to coexist in the same space, but we haven't seen any evidence for it yet.

Answer 3

In the sense of being able to exclude anything else that might attempt to occupy the same space, no. But of course a magnetic field occupies a space in the sense that if you put a fluxmeter anywhere in the space, you will be able to measure the flux. (Fluxmeter: any device used to measure a magnetic field, by means of a rotating coil, Hall-effect sensor, or other such means.)

Answer 4

Well, it's a field, so it affects the behavior of charged objects that are in its vicinity, it has a range but it does not really occupy space in the way you seem to mean, and this is true under both the classical and quantum models.

Answer 5

The field affects space but since it does not have mass it does not take up space.

Answer 6

evaluate a closed area in spite of the undeniable fact that huge you may think of. enable it incorporate some rely which do no longer emit and rely that do emit mild. the area different than the area occupied by rely would be occupied by mild (E.M potential) interior the difficulty additionally, if mild can penetrate e.g. glass water, the area would be occupied by mild. solar and celebrity are the organic sources of light. mild emitted by them will occupy an area of sphere of radius infinity.

Answer 7

Yes: it does when the two "Magnets repell away from each others
that would get Electro Charged like Plus or Minus comparing sides "

Answer 8

off course it has lines going away from magnets that show the magnetic flux density ....... or the magntic field intesity

Answer 9

somehow...