I've been toying around with an apparatus for levitating my magnets of ownage (you know what I mean; neodymium rocks!). First off: Is it a better idea to try to levitate the silver dollars or the magnets themselves? I have a greater volume of silver, so I'm guessing I would levitate the magnets. Next: Since I don't have access to fancy building materials (obviously true; I would have bismuth otherwise...), how can I get a stable system of levitation set up? I've been just dangling magnets over the makeshift lump of silver coins and magnets. How can I improve upon my primitive method?

 

By the way, anyone who hasn't tried this but has magnets and silver, just try waving the magnets past the silver. It's like rubbing it through maple syrup!

depending on how many magnets you have, you could get one to stay above three others provided it were spining.

novelty shops sell such things and i assume they also have a rotating field in the base to maintain angular momentum in the floating armature.

there is no static equilibrium to simply have magnets hover.

 

there're a couple of electric methods about that use hall effect sensors either side of a solenoid (augment the solenoid with neodymium?).

basic principle is, the hall effect sensors are set up with a bias to match the deformed field due to ferrous metal underneath, op amps amplify the error and the solenoid counters it.

result is, ferrous metal stays at a predefined distance from the solenoid.

there's an existing patent on this so you can't buy one.

 

you may also be able to set your silver levitating above a speaker coil from a sub given enough cooling and ac power.

I think he's more interested in diamagnetic levitation than those spinning toys.

 

I have seen a web page with silver bullion bars being used to levitate a magnet (with the help of another magnet too). I'd sooner have to buy enough bismuth than buy enough silver. Also, it's fiddly with bismuth and silver is a lot less diamagnetic. I think you might want to practice with bismuth first.

I have a sheet of pure silver metal here, and after reading his post a few days I tried with my Mega, magnet of Pwnage, and yes you do get a very distinct Magnetic Damping effect as well as slight heating in the sheet.

 

another one the OP May be interested in will be getting some Copper or Alu tubing 4 foot is fine, and then drop a NIB through that

 

or Try and slide one down an Alu or copper sheet (not foil), it`s really quite strange to watch, esp if you have a Race with something Plastic or glass etc...