Suppose you're stuck somewhere in the wilderness

[Orrex]

Say it's a sandy desert or something, with no machinery or electrical equipment for miles.

You have two hunks of metal, each about the size and shape of a golf ball. One is a magnet, one is just conventional iron.

How would you determine which is which?

[rwheeler31]

1. Put them close and see what sticks.

[Orrex]

8. See what sticks?

Huh?

[imdjh]

2. float a piece of wood in a puddle. The magnet will correct to North, and the iron won't?

Alternatively, who flucking cares? If you're so clueless as to where you are and which way home is, then you're going to die anyway.

[Orrex]

5. Gosh, you're an upbeat fellow

Anyway, you're in a sandy desert. Where are you going to get wood or a puddle?

[imdjh]

9. I'm no fun at Lifeboat games either. I kill everyone so I don't have to choose.

[Orrex]

10. Always thinking of the other guy.

I salute you!

[NYC_SKP]

3. hold one, hang the other from the bottom, the magnetic one will spin, the iron one will not.

Next question?

[Orrex]

7. Really? That's pretty nifty!

Are you often stuck in the desert with two anonymous chunks of metal?

[NYC_SKP]

11. Why, just last week.

Fortunately, there was a walmart nearby. :P

[qazplm]

4. walk to the nearest refridgerator.

simple.

[Orrex]

6. Yeah, but does the light go out when you shut the door?

[Indenturedebtor]

12. Alternately place each one on my infomercial chakra

Whichever one cures my arthritis, gout, depression, alcoholism, nicotine addiction, and halts my aging is the magnet FOR SURE!

Magnets are like Magic!

[Thor_MN]

13. see which one picks up iron ore particles from the sand

[comtec]

14. easier, see which one has particles on it

the iron won't. it'll actually sand clean if you run it into/through the sand (use it for digging)
the magnet will have particles after being run through the sand.
additionally a magnet feels different and feels different than a chunk of iron.

as far as water, dig a hole as deep as you can, stretch something across the opening, and try to fashion a cup to put in the bottom of the hole, and put a small stone in the middle of the stretched thing - preferably plastic but a shirt will do.

Then find cover - possibly by digging another hole large enough for yourself.

at night condensation will form, the stone will cause it to form drops and drip into the cup.

I was in ROTC when I lived in Reno as a kid. We learned desert survival. =]

[moggie]

15. Is this the beginning of a Voight-Kampff test?

If so, can we skip to the part about my mother? I haven't got all day.

I agree with running them through the dirt. I did this when I was a kid, and the magnet would always pick up some particles from the soil.

[krispos42]

16. Rub them together to get some filings. Use the sand for abrasive.

(you can catch them in your belly button. Or belly buttons, if you're born again).


Sprinkle filings on both hunks. The magnetic hunk will attract all filings, the nonmagnetic hunk will only attract some of the filings.


Of course, this knowledge will die with you several days later, but you'll die content. :-)