There were a bunch of physics papers on the Levitron's physics.
Their discoveries: 1) Levitron only works within a narrow range of RPM.
Too slow, and the levitated spinning magnet becomes unstable. Too fast,
and the energy-well disappears! 2) the levitated spinning disk MUST be
allowed to precess freely. If precession is inhibited, the energy-well
disappears. (Which of course explains why an extreme RPM will remove the
necessary small precession required for stable levitation.)
Levitron, hidden history
http://www.roddriver.com/index_science.html
http://amasci.com/maglev/lev/expose1.html
---
So Hamdi, are there any "Levitron" analogous effects? Can you run this at
50,000RPM or something? Does the restoring force get any less? Or, to
produce an energy-well, must the levitated magnet be free to slightly
vibrate? (Try motor-assembly placed in a plastic pipe w/air pumped out,
so motor-watts during the extreme RPM need not be enormous, if no air
turbulence.)
On Fri, 4 Sep 2020, Terry Blanton wrote:
One of the things previously discussed is possible applications for
such a phenomenon. Other than a toy similar to Levitron, none of us
have been creative enough to come up with anything.
Heh, need a radioactive airline-flight!
Or just stay awake for a month using micro-sleep, a la Nikola Tesla, see:
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-become-as-much-of-a-genius-as-Nikola-Tesla
About toy inventions...
Note that "Levitron" was immediately stolen by the very first toy company
immediately after the inventor showed it to them. The inventor never made
a cent. The current Levitron-seller (in Seattle!) is the thief. Yet the
inventor had already patented his device. Didn't matter. The thief
immediately patented his own, but with a square base-magnet, while loudly
insisting that a round base would not work (wrong, actually.)
Just from my own slight experience, I personally found that the
professional toy business is EXTREMELY cut-throat, and full of
patholigical criminals, narcissist-liars, and all of them in top
positions. To succeed in the toy biz, you need to be an employee, or
perhaps a long-time famous inventor, in a solid relationship with a big
manufacturer (where they dare not offend the "goose" who keeps laying
their golden eggs.)
That, or start your own small business, and expect your successful toy to
be stolen by overseas toy manufacturers in 1-5 years ...so you'd need to
already have numerous new toy-inventions in the pipeline, as older ones
get stolen, and newer ones start making profits. (Patent fees, and lawyer
fees for patent defense, would instantly wipe out all profits. So don't
ever patent nuthun!)
Heh, investment scam! Suspend your motor+magnet inside a completely
soundproof capsule (perhaps a little glass vacuum globe.) Then do a scam:
room temperature super-conductors now achieved! Your investors could even
be allowed to handle the magic box that performs the levitation! With
sufficiently good bearings, and no air-friction, perhaps the batteries
would run the motor for days! lol
Personally, I have wondered if the suspended magnet could be easily
"handed off" to another, adjacent magnet; thus, setting up the
possibility of a new type of maglev transportation device.
Motors driving spinning dipole magnets, if placed near each other, should
naturallylock on and synchronize. Then, what's the actual shape of the
energy-well? If it could become a long narrow slot, then it might be easy
to drive a suspended magnet along it. Let it slide downhill under
gravity. "Superconductive" train model, just like with HTSC copper-oxide
materials, but no liquid nitrogen required.
(((((((((((((((((( ( ( ( ( (O) ) ) ) ) )))))))))))))))))))
William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
billb at amasci com http://amasci.com
EE/programmer/sci-exhibits amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair
Seattle, WA 206-762-3818 unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci