Maglev train
What is magnetic levitation?
In this puzzle, a material – graphite – floated above the magnetic rail. The ability to make objects float has long fascinated people, from levitating wizards to flying cars in science fiction.
In this puzzle, magnetism created the effect — but not in the way one might expect. Simply placing two magnets on top of each other does not work: although they repel (if oriented correctly), stable levitation is impossible (try it at home!), a fact that can even be proven. Here, the track is magnetic, but the floating plate is not. It is made of graphite, which has a special property called diamagnetism — allowing it to hover stably above the magnetic field. A diamagnetic material becomes magnetized in the opposite direction when exposed to an external magnetic field. In a perfect diamagnet the magnetic field is expelled of the material (see image).
The phenomenon originates from a fundamental property of matter. Matter is made up of atoms with a nucleus and electrons orbiting around it. It is these electrons that cause the diamagnetic effect. Graphite has strong diamagnetic properties as the electrons can move around in circles more easily than in most other materials. Thus, diamagnetism made the graphite piece float above the magnetic rail. Real-life maglev trains are based on related forms of magnetic levitation (See more information bellow).
