h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Because force was continually applied.

>>"..but you can set up eddy currents in those and make them into electromagnets... which is I assume what Magneto does when he needs to manipulate something that couldn't be used as a compass."

Even leaving aside the heating effects of such currents, wouldn't there be some fundamental physical limit on how precise/selective the effects of electric/magnetic fields could be at a distance?

Is it possible even in theory to pluck one knife out of a cutlery drawer a meter or two away without disturbing everything else?

That rather depends on precisely how Magneto's power actually works on a sub-atomic level. If he's able to selectively control the movement of electrons in the magnetic domains of any metal within his range, then there's in principle no reason why he couldn't pick a single knife out of a drawer. It might require him to actively hold all the other knives down to prevent them being attracted to the one being lifted, but electromagnetics has never been my strong point so I can't be sure.

I'm curious - observation alone does not in fact nail down what it is Magneto can actually do. It is possible that his name is accurate, and that what he can do is influence the interaction of the magnetic field within a conductive substance with the magnetic field of earth, producing levitation. However, this is functionally indistinguishable from having a limited telekinetic power that applies only to metals.

The obvious way to test this would be to take Magneto to the moon (or any other body lacking an intrinsic magnetic field - in a plastic spaceship, natch) and see if he can still do the do.

I think about this far too much, don't I?

Not all Hoo, I've often found myself wondering how it is that Magneto supports himself for his 'levitation manoeuvre.." (see X-men 1 where he descends and ascends out of the open head of the statue of liberty or in First class where, after peeling open the door of the sub, he hovers out suspending the deceased Sebastian Shaw ahead of him - suspended on what, not the coin, that fell out the back of his head the scene prior) so how then are they being held up at all? I often wondered if there were counter effects like the sub sinks as he goes up, or if he landed on the street do all the cars jumped up a millimetre or three to disperse the force of his landing...and so on....

But everything is slightly magnetic (or so I recall Brian Cox(I think) saying the other day....) - well at least diamagnetic....

(actually IIRC now it was on QI - talking about aluminIum cans)

I think we called it case closed: it is fiction.

A tremendous pity IMO...