UFO-Electromagnetic Levitation Demonstration

[Unbeliever]

Can anyone help me understand what's happening in this video? Is it a total bamboozle, or is there anything to it?

 

[russ_watters]

It looks like normal magnetic levitation to me. Nothing particularly exciting about that.

 

[ranger]

Just search youtube for magnetic levitation and you'll get some interesting vids. Also diamagnetic levitation is also quite interesting. Ever see a floating (or flying) frog?

 

[Math Jeans]

Ever see a floating (or flying) frog?

No, but I wouldn't mind it. I should check that out.

 

[Unbeliever]

Yeah, I've seen that floating frog. They used an extremely powerful magnetic field. Fascinating!

 

[Math Jeans]

Is this it?

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=HxEW11sVS8o"

 

[ranger]

Yup. That'd be it. The official website is here:
http://www.hfml.ru.nl/froglev.html

 

[TVP45]

It looks like normal magnetic levitation to me. Nothing particularly exciting about that.

Well, sort of. The coil looks OK, but I can't see the stabilization. Is there something in that platform underneath? Or am I completely missing it?

 

[MrHayman]

The coil creates a alternating magnetic field around it. This induces an opposing alternating magnetic field, from eddy currents, in the alluminum plate under the coil.

You can do it with a small coil of wire plugged directly into the wall, if the coil has the right reactance. To large a coil will be too heavy. To small a coil will melt. You need the metal plate and alluminum or copper is best.

Would be interesting to calculate how intense a field you would need to get enough inductive reaction from the air or vacuume. So you could do it without the metal plate.

 

[flatmaster]

The coil creates a alternating magnetic field around it. This induces an opposing alternating magnetic field, from eddy currents, in the alluminum plate under the coil.

You can do it with a small coil of wire plugged directly into the wall, if the coil has the right reactance. To large a coil will be too heavy. To small a coil will melt. You need the metal plate and alluminum or copper is best.

Would be interesting to calculate how intense a field you would need to get enough inductive reaction from the air or vacuume. So you could do it without the metal plate.

This is the mechanism I've heard of before for this phenomenon. I'm sure the magnetic permeability of the metal plate and the AC frequency play a role. Is it just coincidence that 120 Hz is in the correct frequency range? What frequency would give you maximum efficiency?

 

[MrHayman]

It just easiest to plug it right into the wall. You wind the coil to get maximum current, without melting the coil or blowing the breaker. I would hazard a guess there is a certain frequency which would maximize the distance. There has got to be a paper somewhere that has experimented with all the variables?

You can do the opposite as well, floating an aluminum plate or bowl over top of a strong AC electromagnet.

http://www.ovalecotech.ca/ovlpics/faralev.gif