Levitation
Bismuth has the highest diamagnetic coefficient of any metal. This means that it will expel a magnetic
field from its interior and so one can arrange a setup (see steam-punk rig below) in which one
can levitate a rare-earth magnet --- without supplying any external energy or cooling. Basically,
one creates a small stable region between two bismuth plates in which a magnetic field pulling up
on a small test magnet just balances the gravitational force pulling down on that same magnet.
Construction : 1) obtain bismuth (e.g. gem shop) 2) melt on gas stove and pour into mold (inverted coke can) 3) once cooled file top surface as flat as possible 4) build a rig with wood and brass screws with large rare-earth magnets above the two disks 5) fine tune separation distance of disks and top magnet until you achieve liftoff. |
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