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, or quantum trapping, 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]













Oooh… its science day at Giz
I like the direction Giz UK is going. Both gadgety and sciency.
I second that on hoverboards! This needs to happen.
Mind = Blown
This is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.
Totally … lost … for … words …
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
So I post this on Lifehacker’s openthread yesterday and now it’s been posted here.Nonetheless it’s still amazing to see this as a reality.
I’ll be in my bunk.
I don’t see the attraction…
No pull? None at all?
what… the… hell? Awesome!
That’s it. This HAS to be witchcraft. I’m calling the Spanish Inquisition on this shit.
Its called the Meisner Effect, if anyone is interested.
I want one.
I challenge someone to explain this in words I can understand by just skimming over what they say
OK I’m going straight for the Mighty Banhammer! …Fraking Magnets, How Do They Work?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvmvxAcT_Yc
Wow! How have I never heard of this before?
SPLAT! (head exploding)
Looks like someone got their fridge magnet too close to the fridge.
Attach this to a pair of shoes and you’ve got next years ‘britains got talent’ in the bag!
Truley amazing, like the rest of you, how have I not heard about this before now!