In Your MOST SIMPLE Explanation......

[Nana40]

.....can someone explain how a metal detector works? Something an eight year old could understand?

Please and thank you!

Nana

 

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[The Beep Goes On]

I'll give it a try...

- A detector has two coils, one that sends out a signal (transmitter), and one that listens to that signal (receiver).
- When a metallic object moves under the coil, the signal from the transmitter causes a second signal to be created in the metallic object (by induction) which the receive coil can "see".
- The differences in size, conductivity, magnetism and shape of metallic objects allow the detector's brains (circuits) to give the user an idea of what is down there.

HH!
TBGO

 

[detectordave]

The doo-hickey sends a signal to the whatchamacallit. Then it beeps, and grown folks drop to the ground with a shovel. In my case, also with black socks and sandals. To find precious pull tabs. hope this helps.

 

[RON (PA)]

Nana,

This may help. I found it some time ago.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/metal-detector.htm

Hope it helps,

RON(PA)

 

[bomber]

dave dave dave,what about the wide brim straw hat and blueblocker sunglasses?we must protect the image

 

[rvbvetter]

I dunno An 8 year old runs circles around me.
If you have satelite tv, then you know pretty much how it works already.
A signal or radio wave is sent out and when it runs into something, it bounces back and is picked up by the receiver(picture a net or backstop)
The real whiz bang stuff comes in the processing or interpreting of the info that was bounced back and that your receiver caught. HH

 

[Nana40]

Hey thanks ya'll! Now all I have to do is copy and print!

And Dave....no black socks allowed!

Thanks again!

Nana

 

[warsawdaddy]

Nana,the internal stability of the extenguishes clearly indicate that the human mind would recoil at the contemplation of such a staggering task.OK?

 

[The Beep Goes On]

I thought of a good analogy...

Since kids might not understand electro-magnetic waves, you could say it is like yelling loudly...if you get an echo, there was something there to make the sound bounce back. If not, nothing is there. The only thing that can make a detector's "shout" echo is metal.

HH!
TBGO

 

[Burdie]

Right on TBGO!!! Burdie

 

[Michigan Badger]

.....can someone explain how a metal detector works? Something an eight year old could understand?

Please and thank you!

Nana

Piece-O-Cake...Just look fer a knob what says something like on/off and twist it.

Badger

 

[Ground Squirrel]

So You Want An Eight Year Old's View Of A Metal Detector...

Kid: "What's that?" <pointing to detector>
Adult: "A Metal Detector"
Kid: "What's it for?"
Adult: "Making little kids ask stupid questions."

Ok... wait a minute. That was my dad talking... let me try again.

Kid: "What's that?"
Adult: "It's for finding stuff that's buried in the ground."
Kid: "How does that work?"
Adult: "You know how when you walk at night with a flashlight? You shine the light on things and you can see them?"
Kid: "Yea..."
Adult: "Well it's like that but insted of light it uses magnets." (this is not actually very far from the truth...)
Kid: "Magnets? So how does it see stuff with a magnet?"
Adult: "You wave this thing here..." <points to search coil> "Around above the ground, it has a magnet in it and a thing that can see what reflects back from the stuff in the ground... like the flashlight, you can see stuff only where the light shines. Light can go through air and this magnet can go through dirt."
Kid: "So why does it make all that noise?"
Adult: "When you use a flashlight, you use your eyes. When you use this... <pointing at detector> "You use your ears. This way you can find stuff in daytime." (ok, a white lie, but trying to explain why light can go through air and not dirt would take too long.)
Kid: "Can you use it at night?"
Adult: "Yes, but you still have to use your ears."
Kid: "Can I do it?"

This is where the answer should always be "yes". If you make kids smarter, they grow up to be smart adults and don't do stupid stuff like bouncing basketballs all day or riding around in loud cars while people are trying to sleep.

Adult: "Sure, here hold it like this..."

Hours later the kid walks away with $5 in clad and you wonder how they figured out the detector so fast... remember, they are a kid and their brain is running 100 times faster than ours are.

Ground Squirrel

 

[Nana40]

That's great! Those maybe I can remember!

Thanks so much ya'll!

 

[ZumbroKid]

It is a magical money stick, with a spell cast on it. There are good money sticks and bad money sticks. Let me know if you need more info.

 

[Pennyworth]

A little boy came up to me today and asked what I was doing and I said looking for things in the ground. The next question, "what is that?", a metal detector I replied. Then he said how do you get the dirt back in the ground,and I said you place the dirt in the hole and step down on it. Then he went on about needing sunglasses and he didn't have any, but he was wearing a pair of sunglasses. I really didn't know what to say to that except uh huh. His grandmother said he just wanted to see what you were doing. I tired my best to be sociable but I was tired and just wanted to get back to metal detecting.

 

[Mighty AP]

"Get away from me kid! you are bothering me! If you ask me one more question I am gonna go to my truck & turn my big dog loose on you, he eats little boys who ask too many questions."
This would be the proper response Pennyworth, beleive me...........it works! You should see the little monkeys run away! lol
Im just kidding Nana, although I get irratated & just want to put my phones on & ignore them, I try to explain it all to them & give them pennies & pulltabs til they leave me alone! lol

 

[Smartin]

Nana,

Was this info for you? or maybe your grandchildren?

Anyway, just tell em' it's like xray vision, except your machine looks into the ground for you and tells you whats down there by the sounds it makes. Then you decide if you want to dig it up to see if the machine is right or not! Kinda like a game, except it's ok if the machine plays a trick to fool you (most) some of the time.The machine don't care if there are roots, big rocks ,or hard ground to dig, it can see anyway, even when it's wrong it's right.

HH,
Smartin

 

[Nana40]

Well SMartin....I guess the answer would be for eight year old boys since I really don't care how they work...just glad to know that they do!

I have somehow been volunteered to speak at a boy scout meeting and I figured that would be one of the questions asked..so I'm trying to be prepared!

Thanks ya'll for the insight!

Nana