You don’t need to be a physicist, a PhD student, a geek, or even a member of the Insane Clown Posse to appreciate the awesome capabilities of superconductors and magnets as demonstrated in this video by Tel-Aviv University.
An unidentified member of the university’s Superconductivity Group School of Physics and Astronomy shows off the quantum locking effects of a magnet that’s been super cooled with liquid nitrogen. Now we’ve probably all seen demonstrations of super-cooled magnets floating above a track before, with promises of them facilitating high-speed trains zigzagging across the country. But this video goes one step further, showing how the position and angle of the magnet can be locked in a magnetic field while it’s in motion. The moral of the story is that it makes for an impressive demo, and I better see hoverboards popping up in toy stores by Christmas. [Quantum Levitation via ASTC via Fazed]
Bruce
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:43 AMi have a magnet fetish lol, love it!
Gabriel
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:47 AM!! That is crazy cool!! Much more reading needed before i completely understand the physics of it though… :(
Ambrose
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:54 AMback to the future hoverboard anyone?
eccentric
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 9:56 AMI really hope we can get past that sub zero temp problem soon, without that this is just a gimmick, a very impressive gimmick that blowws my mind, but still just a gimmick.
Matt L
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:12 AMMind. Blown.
TSH
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 7:14 PMthis
MotorMouth
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:13 AMI dunno, it would depend how hard it is to keep it frozen. If the energy required to do that was less than the energy required to overcome friction, which in something like a large train is probably feasible, then it will be more efficient than current train technology. It is absolutely amazing, though, and not something I was aware existed. Off to find out more!
Luke
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:16 AMMy question is how is the guy touching the “supercooled” magnet that has been dipped in Liquid nitrogen with out fully burning(?) his fingers off.
Eccentric
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:31 AMIt’s just dry ice, similar to what your freezer makes, the puck was frozen in I assume liquid Nitrogen first.
simulacrum
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:40 AMLeidenfrost effect?
cleverclogs
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 11:03 AMYou can generally touch something that’s very very cold for a brief amount of time, without doing too much damage to your skin – you’ll feel a burning sensation.
Luke
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 12:02 PMIsn’t it actually the opposite? queue Dumb and dumber scene where he licks the chair lift pole.
Doesn’t skin stick to something that is very cold? I have found that to be the case..
cleverclogs
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 12:22 PMA short time… and with dry fingers – yes, wet fingers would freeze faster ;p and yes, don’t go licking it.
Jackson Bison
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 1:11 PMI too watched Dumb and Dumber for it’s fidelity to fact and science. I certainly didn’t watch it because it was funny. Because it wasn’t.
Ozoneocean
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:03 PMThe bit where he left the note on his door that said “to the gas-man” was funny when the hitman with tummy-trouble read it and thought it was a personal insult…
It was the only funny part in the whole film, but it still makes me chuckle.
Marten
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:16 PMYou cant touch liquid nitrogen cold at all. It will freeze your skin.
I assume the post above is correct and it is covered by dry ice.
cleverclogs
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:49 PMIT looks like it has been immersed, and is then just freezing the moisture out the atmosphere and getting very frosty.
And yes, you can touch LN2-cold, you just have to be VERY quick about it. Come on, I use this stuff almost daily.
Charlie Kelly
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 3:22 PMNo Insane Clown Posse reference yet? You disappoint me internet.
nightFlarer
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 7:09 PMF***king magnets, how do they work?
Done.
TSH
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 7:16 PMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQWksKNrJm0
Lillee
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 3:36 PMAm I the only one screaming HOVERBOARD???
Matt L
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 3:49 PMNo, check the 3rd comment down.
Theophilus
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:24 PMThe 3rd comment down wasn’t really a scream, so yes Lillee, yes you are.
Matt L
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 9:47 AMTouche…. I wasn’t thinking clearly due to excessive magnetic energy
Daniel
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:44 PMMagnets, always with the magnets.
LucasF
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 8:29 PMOMG. Busy for the next two weeks.
Matt
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 8:40 PMI want one, that could keep me entertained for hours!
Matt L
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 9:48 AMIt blows our mind now, but our children will be like “Boooooring, this is normal to us”
chugs
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 9:54 AMfor 15 years i’ve been watching and reading about this affect.
I’m sick to death of it to be honest. Build me a room temperature super conductor or stop posting these stupid videos
Sam
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 8:28 PMIf you have been reading about it for that long, you should know how, go ahead and do it if you think it is that simple