The Lenz's Law Gravity Defying Cylinders

This is the amusement that demonstrates Lenz’s Law to create a gravity-defying spectacle of electromagnetism. Dropping the 1"-diam. magnetic n52 neodymium ball into one of the two 2 1/2"-high aluminum cylinders generates electromagnetic eddy currents that flow in a circular, ring-like motion following the cylinder’s curvature. As the ball descends, a second magnetic field generated by the law of excitation opposes the ball’s magnetic field—expressed by Lenz’s law—effectively slowing the ball’s rate of descent through the cylinder. One challenge involves dropping the ball through the first cylinder, then quickly moving the second cylinder beneath the falling ball to “catch” it a second time. In addition to dropping the ball for a “silent catch” (the ball never touches the inner wall of either cylinder) one may also hold both cylinders horizontally together with the ball inside—when the ball is at rest, neither magnetic field is generated. Ages 14 and up.