Do materials surrounding magnets affect how superconductors levitate?

[SBrownJC]

I'm currently doing an experiment with magnetic levitation but I don't know if my independent variable will even affect my results at all. I am planning on building a rail of magnets and levitating a type 2 superconductor on it. I wanted to change the material surrounding the rail of magnets and/or the superconductor. Will this have any effect when I record the time and speed of the superconductor?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Maybe. Depends on what the material is, how it affects the fields, how much it needs to fore you to notice and probably a half dozen other factors.

 

[SBrownJC]

So if I place an iron, nickel, copper, wood, and other sheets above the magnets and cover the superconductor with the same then it would move at different speeds when pushed at with constant force?

 

[DaveC426913]

So if I place an iron, nickel, copper, wood, and other sheets above the magnets and cover the superconductor with the same then it would move at different speeds when pushed at with constant force?

This will be pretty easy to test and verify. You don't need the superconductor setup, just the magnet.

See how many paperclips a magnet will pick up with various materials interposed.

 

[Vanadium 50]

So if I place an iron, nickel, copper, wood, and other sheets above the magnets and cover the superconductor with the same then it would move at different speeds when pushed at with constant force?

Whose experiment is this? Yours or mine?

 

[SBrownJC]

Mine