I have a simple question, if I were to use a cylindrical NdFeB magnet and coil it in a plastic coated copper wire, would it amplify it's magnetism? (such as in iron or nickel.)

 

Furthermore, if I were to get ahold of liquid nitrogen, would this "contraption" super-conduct?

 

I am very interested in learning how electromagnetism works, and wish to go further than coiling iron nails.

No, and no.

 

The reason an iron core "amplifies" the field of a coil is that iron generally has a high magnetic permeability — the field lines will be concentrated in the iron, which means that the field is strong in the iron and the region where the field lines enter and leave However, the field is not really amplified — the total field is unchanged. You need to look at this from a conservation of energy perspective.

 

It's possible that a small piece of iron on the pole of a permanent magnet might concentrate the field, but it's much more likely that you're just adding space between the magnet and the object you want to affect.

 

Superconducting requires specific recipes of components. Simply cooling a material will not turn it into a superconductor, if it's not one of these few.

Edited December 12, 200916 yr by swansont

Indeed some alloys magically (for the lack of a better term) align their electron spins in one direction, making superconduction possible. Most metals on themselves couldn't care less about their surrounding temperature. Ok the resistance drops, but won't go away.

Thanks, this is really reassuring. If I hadn't asked, I could have wasted a lot of money.