Scientists levitate gold coins

BBC News ^ | Published: 2003/04/10 07:19:37 | BBC News

[vannrox]

Scientists levitate gold coins

Scientists have shown that levitation is not just a trick from a Harry Potter book.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have used magnetism to make solid objects such as coins float in the air.

Scientists have already proven strong, varying magnetic fields could exert an upward force on objects in their path.

The Nottingham team found this effect could be dramatically enhanced in cold, magnetised oxygen.

Magnetic levitation occurs when the magnetic force is strong enough to overcome gravity and balance a body's weight.

Cold oxygen provides extra buoyancy through the "magneto-Archimedes" effect - literally allowing an object to float in the air.

No conjuring trick

Laurence Eaves and colleagues at the University of Nottingham's School of Physics and Astronomy used the technique to levitate a gold coin, a £1 coin, two kinds of crystal and a piece of lead.

They wrote in the journal Nature: "In magnetic levitation, a strong and spatially varying magnetic field exerts an upward force on a body that is sufficient to counteract its weight due to gravity.

"Here we show that this effect can be enhanced by immersing the body in cold oxygen gas, which provides a further strong and adjustable buoyancy force that allows a wide range of materials to be levitated in an open, unpressurised vessel."

The objects could be moved simply by adjusting the strength of the magnetic field. But the experiment is more than a conjuring trick.

According to the scientists, the technique could be adapted for use in separating minerals.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/2935001.stm

Published: 2003/04/10 07:19:37

© BBC MMIII

[Brian S]

I really miss Art Bell, the new guy just doesn't do it for my restless nights.

[wideminded]

Gold is diamagnetic, which enhances the levitating effect.

[fourdeuce82d]

This is a weak repulsive force that is not the same as ferromagnetism (the strong magnetic property of iron-like materials). I seem to recall that they also levitated strawberries, which have no hemoglobin, but do have water, which is diamagnetic.)

fourdeuce note to self: Do not blather on about crap you don't understand. Do not blather on about crap you don't understand. That is all.

*grin*- thanks for the clarification!

[UnklGene]

I've gotten old. I have something that needs to be
"re-levitated."

[error99]

I thought this had all been done years ago.

[Rippin]

FYI

[patriot5186]

now if they can do something to levitate my stock portfolio
You mean they didn't make it disappear yet? I'll have to notify David Copperfield.

[babygene]

" I believe the frog levitation relied on a property of materials called diamagnetism."

You are correct. The two materials with the strongest diamegenetic properties are carbon and bismuth. You can buy kits on the web that allow you to do levitation experments. Search with google for lecitation and bismuth or graphite...

[babygene]

"Gold is diamagnetic"

Only slightly... and way too expensive. Bismuth is better and fairly easy to get. You can buy no-tox shotgun shells at many sporting goods stores and take the bismuth pellets out. It has a melting point and weight that is very close to lead, but it is less toxic, hence it's use in some shotgun shells.

It's diamagnetic properties are more than an order of magnatude better than the closest other metal.

[A CA Guy]

Probably would cause humans brain tumors.

[B. A. Conservative]

Greenspan is levitating gold coins with the simple of use of his computer by creating money out of thin air.

[SunkenCiv]

bttt

How to float like a stone
David Adam, science correspondent
Wednesday May 11, 2005
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1481009,00.html

Open Letter to the Scientific Community
New Scientist | May 22, 2004 | see signatures
Posted on 03/28/2005 11:44:29 PM PST by Swordmaker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1372828/posts