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How To Make An Investigatory Project In Physics?

Thank you all, but is it posible to make a mini- maglev train for an investigatory project?

  • im planning to make four electric magnets. two on each side, so that the opposing forces will be north to north and south to south. and in between, two magnets holding the train figure. im planning to arrange the magnets so that the forces repel both on top and below. can the plan work, so that it will look like a mini-maglev train?

  • Answer:

    You can't make a stable levitating device with magnets that have constant strength. Google "Earnshaw's theorem" to find out why not. So you will need an active control system that measures any unstable movement of the train and adjusts the current in the magnets to correct it. At school level, that would be a very challenging project. You may be able to make a model that "cheats" a bit, by using some sort of mechanical restraint to keep the train stable on the track.

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You can't make a stable levitating device with magnets that have constant strength. Google "Earnshaw's theorem" to find out why not. So you will need an active control system that measures any unstable movement of the train and adjusts the current in the magnets to correct it. At school level, that would be a very challenging project. You may be able to make a model that "cheats" a bit, by using some sort of mechanical restraint to keep the train stable on the track.

Rob T

Sounds like a great project. I am no expert on maglev but, on your scale, it is probably easiest to design your track in a way that the train is held from coming off the track so you do not have to balance the levitating force "just right" to lift the train. The design of some maglev trains used eddy currents created in the track by the magnets on the train. I think this would be much more compicated. Your best bet is to build the track out of a series of electromagnets with all the N poles oriented up (or down). Good luck

Gary H

Rob T is almost right. But if you are prepared to use paramagnetic materials, such as pyrolytic graphite, then you can make a magnetic levitation that is barely stable. I don't know if you could apply this to a train, though.

Dave D

Sounds like a great project. I am no expert on maglev but, on your scale, it is probably easiest to design your track in a way that the train is held from coming off the track so you do not have to balance the levitating force "just right" to lift the train. The design of some maglev trains used eddy currents created in the track by the magnets on the train. I think this would be much more compicated. Your best bet is to build the track out of a series of electromagnets with all the N poles oriented up (or down). Good luck

Gary H

Rob T is almost right. But if you are prepared to use paramagnetic materials, such as pyrolytic graphite, then you can make a magnetic levitation that is barely stable. I don't know if you could apply this to a train, though.

Dave D

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