Make a Pen Hover In Mid Air

Make a Pen Hover in Mid Air

Make a Pen Hover In Mid Air

Overview

It is really difficult to have one magnet hover over another one in mid air. Use this simple construction to make a pen hover in mid air.

Materials

Body of a ballpoint pen (something long and skinny)
Thumb tack
Glue gun
Cardboard platform
6 ceramic magnets, 1/2 inch diameter and .2 inch thick

Procedure

1. Take the body of the ballpoint pen and glue one magnet on one end and one magnet on the other end. Make sure that the north poles of both magnets point toward the same direction.

2. Glue a thumb tack on the magnet whose north pole is exposed. .

3. Take four more of the magnets and use the glue to glue them, standing on edge, onto the cardboard platform.

4. Glue the small piece of cardboard onto the cardboard platform to make a wall. Let it all dry.

5. Then place the pen above the magnets.

Observations

If you arrange things carefully and have a steady hand you can place the pen above the magnets and it will hover there.

Explanation

The forces of attraction and repulsion of the magnets and the gravity of the Earth are all balanced in this model, which keeps the pen hovering in mid air.

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