Levitating Superconductors
Dylan Carpenter
Physics212x
04/20/15
Terminology
Terms
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SuperConductor - A material that exhibits zero electrical resistance when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature.
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Magnetic Pole - Either of two regions of a magnet, designated north and south, where the magnetic field is strongest.
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Levitation - The process where an object is held in mid-air without mechanical support.
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Maglev - A nifty abbreviation for magnetic levitation.
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Meissner Effect - the expulsion of a magnetic field from a superconductor during its transition to the superconducting state.
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Magnetic Flux - The quantitative amount of magnetic field passing through a surface.
Understanding the basic concepts and definitions is key to understanding Levitating Superconductors. Below are terms commonly associated with Electrostatics. Magnets are known to levitate over superconductors and vice-versa. Superconductors repel magnetic fields due to the Meissner effect. At a , microscopic level, you will notice holes in the superconductor. These allow a tiny amount of magnetic flux to get through the superconductor which then is just enough to stabilize the superconductor and hold in in place. This is just one of the many discoveries in Quantum Mechanics.
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Quantum Mechanics - is the science observed at a microscopic level: How matter behaves and its interactions with energy on the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.