How does a metal detector work?
Metal detector s have become popular devices for both recreational and security purposes. The metal detector has become an important tool around the country – whether for in hunting for buried treasure in West Virginia , or gold prospecting in NY . They are also very handy for ensuring security in buildings and other establishments.
However, most people are not familiar with how they work even if they go about their lives using them on a regular basis. Even some owners of metal detector s are unfamiliar with its workings. Just how exactly does a metal detector work? Read on to find out.
Physics and the metal detector
Most hand-held metal detector s today look like flat circular disks attached to long steel rods, and using them usually involves wearing earphones or headphones. This is because metal detector s work by producing a magnetic field through the round plate at the end of a stick (called the ‘oscillator'). This field is picked up by any metallic object that the metal detector passes over, and the metallic objects respond by producing magnetic fields of their own. These magnetic fields are then received by the oscillator and the user is notified of a metallic object in the vicinity by a buzzing sound in the headphones. This entire process is called electromagnetic induction, which involves the production of voltage over a rapidly changing magnetic field which the oscillator produces. The buzzing sound the user hears is the actual voltage being produced by the metallic object as a result of its exposure to an opposing magnetic field.
Applications
Archaeologists and geologists regularly use metal detector s in sweeping the ground in search of metal deposits. Archaeologists search for metallic artifacts left by ancient civilizations while geologists use metal detector s to search for mineral and metal deposits in the ground. Many countries prohibit the use of metal detector s without authorization from the government because hobbyists and treasure hunters will be able to plunder archaeological sites easily. However, the implementation of this law is very poor and many important historical artifacts are smuggled out of the country of origin as a result.
The military also uses metal detector s on a regular basis to hunt for mines and clear them away. This process is called demining, and it is also done for humanitarian purposes. However, the military's concern is to clear away enough mines to allow vehicles and troops to pass safely while civilian mine clearing involves removing all of the mines completely in a particular area. Usually, metal detector s are able to easily find anti-vehicle mines because they have a much higher metal content than anti-personnel mines.
Many amateur treasure hunters and hobbyists find using metal detector s a fun way to spend the day at the beach. They roam the coastline, sweeping their metal detector s in the hopes of finding rare coins, lost items, or, if the beach was the site of an important historical landing like in Normandy , historical artifacts. Although many countries discourage this practice, many people still do it.