Diamagnetic Levitation: How to Levitate a Worm and Other Experiment Ideas

[ObsoleteBacon]

So I want to levitate...(drum roll please)...A REALLY SMALL WORM!

First off, I read that the downward pull on the worm will be gr (gravity times density), so then how would I calculate how powerful my magnet would have to be to balance this force?

So that's the mathematical part...

Now, what else can I do with this experiment? I want to test stuff, not just levitate a worm (although levitating a worm is still awesome). Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[xts]

I am afraid - levitating even small warm seems impossible without use of the strongest magnets in the world.
Famous Frog of Nijmegen levitated in a field of 16T magnet.
Size of the warm doesn't really matter (unless you want to levitate the elephant) - it is water diamagnetism which causes levitation, and as long as the object is smaller than magnet yoke - it makes no difference if it has 1mm or 1cm.
To levitate water (or any living creature, built mostly of water) you must create magnetic field gradient bigger than 1400 T²/m

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation
http://www.ru.nl/hfml/research/levitation/diamagnetic/

 

[ObsoleteBacon]

Awww...well what are some easy levitating resources? I know that there's a special type of graphite that works well...any other?

 

[xts]

Graphite seems to be easiest one.
But bismuth may work too.
Long time ago I used to demonstrate for students levitation with 1T permanent neodymium magnets and a cube 1cmx1cmx1cm or so of metallic bismuth.