A Theory of the Permanent Magnetic Fields of the Sun and Earth: A Correction

Calculations by Page applied to the problem of the origin of the magnetic fields of the sun and earth show that earth currents arising from internal electric or gravitational fields crossed with a self-generated magnetic field tend to magnetize the earth rather than demagnetize it as was originally assumed. By attributing the observed field to electric and magnetic effects alone, ion free paths of only ${10}^{-7\mathrm{}}$ cm are required whereas the original current systems which were attributed to an inhomogeneous magnetic field indicated that free path lengths of 3×${10}^{-6\mathrm{}}$ cm were necessary. The qualitative features of the original theory are unchanged.