Diamagnetic levitation with Bismuth

This is a demonstration of diamagnetic levitation. Diamagnetism is the property of an object to repel external magnetic fields. This is due to the orbit of the electrons around the nucleus being speed up or slowed down by the external field. This change in speed results in a change of the orbit's dipole moment. This change in the dipole moment is opposite to the direction of the external field. Thus, you get repulsion.

This occurs with many substances like water, carbon, and silver. Bismuth exhibits this property the most. However, this effect is still very weak. The only way to properly demonstrate this is by using a magnet, hanging above the Bismuth slugs, to cancel out the force of gravity on the little neodymium magnet in the middle. This will allow the repulsion from the bottom slug to become noticeable, pushing the magnet up, but the top slug will then repel the magnet down. Thus, the magnet hovers.

If you would like to build one yourself, you can purchase the kit from the following site:
http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70_71&...

Diagram: http://unitednuclear.com/images/levdiagram.jpg

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Diamagnetic
• levitation

[Strikr1999]

Please go to the bottom of the description for a link to the plans I followed in putting this together.

[Strikr1999]

@carmatic The orientation of the magnet doesn't matter. This effect is really weak, so you need a "lifter" magnet hanging from above. The only purpose for the "lifter" magnet is to cancel out the force of gravity on the small magnet so the diamagnetic effect can take over.

[carmatic]

question - do you know what orientation that magnet is in? i.e. how are the poles aligned, vertical or horizontal around the rotation plane?

my bullions of bismuth have arrived today, but when i brought them close to my ferrite magnets, there is no effect... not even a slight repulsion

[Strikr1999]

@laceyb343

The cube was pushed just before I made the video. The diamagnetic effect is so weak that I don't imagine it could ever be used to create usable energy. Regular magnets are still the way to go for that.

[laceyb343]

I wonder if a machine could be built that harnesses magnetism/diamagnetism as a an energy source? I wonder if the spinning cube needed a "push" to make it spin or if its own magnetic/diamagnetic properties were at work. Could this not be scaled up and optimized as a sort of belt drive, or to spin a turbine to create electricity? Would the "perpetual" nature of its motion be limited only by friction and the wane of magnetic fields?