Non-Contact Magnetic Trailer Hitch

Demonstration of an interesting and perhaps useful configuration of magnets.
No penguins were harmed during the production of this video.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• magnet
• trailer
• hitch
• free
• rotation
• non-contact
• energy
• penguin

[johnriven]

That's pretty funny when you talk about stablizing the configuration, "without the tube". That's the whole point of what is going on here.

Nothing is being "levitated" is the traditional understanding of the word. The magnet is simply pinned against the inner wall of the tube as it's being repulsed. Try it without the tube. It will either fly away or flip and jump and attach itself to the under side of the ring magnet.

[TinselKoala]

Yes, that's the point. I'm glad you can see that.

The system can be spin-stabilized to do away with the need for the tube. And the flat-magnet configuration is stabilized by the surface on which it sits.

It's a bit more complicated than your simplistic explanation would suggest, however. The magnet is "pinned" both in attraction and repulsion, hence allowing the coupling to transmit pushes as well as pulls, without the magnets being in contact.

[johnriven]

Yes, I understand it's both in repulsion and attraction.

In attraction it's being pinned short of the actual magnet because the flux lines that emenate from the ring magnet are concentrated several centimeters from the actual face of the ring magnet.

The repulsion scenario is the same, except it's trying to twist more.