Re Magnetic Flip-Flops
That paper doesn't appear to take into account that the earth is also passing through a rather large electric current (the solar wind) which would itself have an inductive effect not only on the iron core but also on the much more prevalent aluminium oxide deposits dotted around the world.
The earth also sits in the magnetic field of the sun, although due to it's distance this probably has much less effect.
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why is it that instead of quietly fading away, as magnetic fields do when left to their own devices, Earth's magnetic field is still going strong after billions of years? Einstein is said to have considered it one of the most important unsolved problems in physics.
Einstein was unaware of the solar wind.
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According to generally accepted theory -- the dynamo theory -- interactions between the churning, twisting flow of molten material in the outer core and the magnetic field generate electrical current that, in turn, creates new magnetic energy that sustains the field.
Hooray for perpetual motion.
It is believed that the magnetic field of the sun is also subject to frequent reversals, and the sun doesn't have the same physical properties (with the exception of the iron core).
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After nearly a year running almost daily, as allocated computing time was about to expire, the model produced its Eureka moment.
Phew, that was lucky, wasn't it.
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"That's the nice thing about a supercomputer. You can just let it do its thing, solve these equations over and over -- a large set of variables affecting each other with nonlinear feedback, very hard to figure out. It's a beautiful problem for a supercomputer, and it's really exciting to see this structure and dynamics that no one imagined."
Another nice thing about supercomputers is that you can mess about with variables until you get near the solution you are looking for, then lock off the awkward ones and let the computer generate lots of useful results.
I'm sure there is a lot more to it than is explained in this document, but there are also some glaring holes which haven't been explained.
I don't like knocking theories without providing an alternative, but so far I haven't had the chance. I'll try to do so.