We went to Penrith yesterday for an evening on Low Temperature Physics. We learned about how they get very close to absolute zero at Lancaster University. And then we got to see the liquid nitrogen demonstrations! In this first picture, there is a piece of dark coloured ceramic superconductor at the bottom in a bath of liquid nitrogen. There is a small magnet levitating over it. This is the Meissner Effect, where the superconductor expels the magnetic field. I need to do more research on this. It may be part of a later blog post.
Phil has been trying to make a maglev track. There is a clear Perspex track with magnets in it. Then he uses two ceramic superconductors in a bit of polystyrene cup, which is there to take the liquid nitrogen.
Now the superconductors are levitating above the magnet track.
And they still hang on when it is flipped upside down!
When I was in the Sixth Form, it was compulsory for someone to put a tie in liquid nitrogen and then snap it in half. I brought one from the minging tie cupboard. Trouble is that it absorbed too much liquid nitrogen and wouldn't freeze. Oh well.
The rest of the liquid nitrogen was tipped out in the grounds...cool!
Big thanks to Chris and Phil from Lancaster University for the talk and demos, and also to QEGS for hosting!
