LOST at the Science Museum

2008-03-11T15:01:00.007-04:00

After spending 5 weeks on researching the "scientific" aspects of LOST, Ange and I (and the cute little blond is my daughter) thought it only fair to go on a hunt to see some if it for ourselves. It's quite amazing what we found.....

Well, to start, golashes for the Losties....we could smell the rain coming! And we all know what THAT means.

First, and most importantly, a Faraday cage. We actually got to see a huge demonstration on how they work. There was also a display on the properties and abilities of diamagnetic material. AWESOME! hehehe

In the background is a gigantor Van De Graff Generator. Also, there are Tesla Coils and lots of other "shocking" items. (Which apparently make kids think that parents should hand feed them grapes)

This is what electromagnetic energy does to your face!

And you thought it was giant hamsters....HA!

HAD to stop on the beach for a break and a few games. (Bet you didn't know the Dharma Shark could fly)

And to think....all this time Smokey has been coming out of my kid's nose.....how about that.

YAY! for Vortex Theory. JK
I was very excited about it though.

HEY! I think he stole our fish biscuits!!!

Science for Dummies by Dummies

2008-01-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

In an attempt to put the latest "scientific info" in a more "understandable" format, I realized that I too am a scientific dummy. LOL! It seems that Ange and I ran into the same problem.....the more we searched, the more confusing the information was. We agreed that there is no way the producers of LOST are going to expect their viewers to understand quantum physics. Therefore, this post will attempt to basically explain how some of the theories of the ARG might relate to the island.

I repeat, this is an attempt to relate the theories of the ARG to the island. If the game reveals it is related to something else, we will update the info as it becomes available.

Also, if anyone reading this finds mistakes in theory, please shed some "light" on the subject. THANKS!

James Clerk Maxwell

1) Electromagnetism

Find 815 has repeatedly given us clues involving Maxwell. His main focus was on Electromagnetism. Basically, an electromagnet is a magnet formed by a field of electric current.

Based on the electromagnetic properties of the LOST island, there may be a rotating electromagnetic field around the island.

There is a possibility that the island is "hidden" due to electromagnetism. The study of cloaking can be found at the website for National Geographic.
Basically, they are using electromagnetism to bend light around objects to hide them from your vision.

2) Theory of Molecular Vortices

Maxwell actually abandoned the theory in 1864. So I am not sure why it could be a clue. This theory was an attempt to describe how a magnetic field works using the example of a sea of molecular vortices. The image below is a diagram of this theory.

I am not quite sure I understand how it works, but I will give it a go.
The large spaces represent vortices of matter. The little spaces in between those are particles trapped in between the vortices of matter. If an electrical current is flowing one direction in the top half of these, and flowing in the opposite direction on the bottom half, then the particles will move in the opposite direction of the vortices and cause an induced electrical charge. This would cause the vortices to spin in the opposite direction until they got so fast that the induced charge would disappear.

I am not sure how this relates to the game or the show. I can possibly tie it to the aurora, but I am not sure. I will do that in the aurora section.

Kristian Birkeland

Birkeland's focus was on the polar aurora. He made a terrella machine that could reproduce an aurora. This was done by spinning a mini magnetic Earth, to recreate the earth's electromagnetic field, in a vacuum chamber and shooting a cathode ray at it...

...which led him to surmise that charged particles interacting with the Earth's magnetic field, were the cause of the aurora.

So we definitely have a link to electromagnetic fields and auroras.

I also read, regarding polar auroras, that electrons travel along the electromagnetic field of the Earth they become charged, and that is what causes the aurora.

This is where I may have a connection to the Theory of Molecular Vortices from Maxwell. If you recall, when the electric current starts flowing through the particles, there becomes an induced charge that eventually disappears.
I think it is possible that

1) the Swan Hatch could be sending the electrical currents periodically.

2) the explosion of the Swan Hatch is sending periodic electrical currents.

Could that be enough to cause light for a few seconds? I am not sure, and it may be reaching. But Tracey said in the Aurora email that auroras usually last longer than what Sam saw. That is why I am thinking the aurora is not atmospheric.

Nikola Tesla

We are adding him to our list of scientists because some of his work may explain why the boats, trying to leave, are always drawn back to the island. *Let me also note, I believe not having a properly working compass plays into this theory as well.

Tesla did a lot of work on rotating magnetic fields.

Some of his experiments involved diamagnetic material. Diamagnetic, basically, means that it is a material that repels magnets. Copper is diamagnetic. The following video shows how Tesla's rotating magnetic field will make a copper egg spin and stand on end. This is because the copper has a repulsion to the electromagnetic field.

What I find interesting is that WATER is also diamagnetic. There is a good illustration of that
HERE.
Apparently, if you put a strong magnet under a dish of water, the water surface will have an indentation where the magnet is pushing the water away from itself.

How does that relate to the island? I think it may be why boats always end up back on the island. Given an electromagnetic field around the island, I think one of two things may be possible.

1) The surface of the water is being repelled by the electromagnetic field. Therefore, it is pushing the boats back to the island.

2) (My fav.) The electromagnetic field around the island is causing the surface of the water to "spin", like the copper egg, creating a current that flows back to the island. Aslo, it is known that tides and currents cause problems with navigation.

Ange found another good SITE that demonstrates that water is diamagnetic.

Michael Faraday

Faraday also did a lot of work with electromagnetism. There are two things he discovered that we think may be relevant.

1) The Faraday Effect.

Faraday was able to prove a relationship between light and electromagnetism. This is what Maxwell's Theory of Molecular Vortices is based on. We were not able to connect it in any other way.

2) Faraday Cages

A Faraday Cage is used in electronics to keep radiated frequencies in or out of an electronic device. These frequencies are found in anything electronic from cell phones to kids toys. The basic premise of a Faraday Cage is that by creating a "cage" certain frequencies can be contained or blocked from interrupting electrical function. Theoretically using a Faraday Cage blocks frequencies based on their size. The smaller the frequency the smaller the hole you would need to block. When a frequency hits a cage it dissipates. Again, theoretically by manipulating these holes you can manipulate the frequencies you can block. Cages can be made of solid pieces of metal, mesh, wire, etc. Entire suits of clothing have even been made that act as Faraday Cages.

So how does this apply to the island? Well, we are being led by the nose to look at Maxwell's equations, and Faraday Cages are based on these ideas. I'm not saying that the sonic fence is a wall of metal or even mesh, and I am not saying that the island is surrounded by a metal box. However, if we go on the idea that Lost will be based on pseudo-science or science that is being developed now, we can theorize that Dharma, the others, or someone who knows what's going on has found a way to make a Faraday Cage on or around the island. It could be blocking transmissions, making the island undetectable, or keeping Smokey at bay via the sonic fence.

LOST Thoughts

LOST at the Science Museum

Science for Dummies by Dummies