Floating Superconductors

When superconductors are put close to strong magnets, they lock into the positions where they have been put. They will neither fall nor rise. Nor will they slide off to the side. They will remain where they were placed relative to the magnetic fields.

If magnets are laid out like a rail in one direction, superconductors will move freely in the direction of the rail while resisting any other motion.

The simple explanation for this is that currents induced into superconductors by magnetic fields will produce equal and opposite magnetic fields that resists any change in position relative to the magnets.

This explanation requires no quantum physics. Standard electromagnetic theory is all that’s needed. Move forward to 3:15 in the simple explanation, and the whole thing is explained in a few sentences.

This is essentially the same explanation that was used to explain induction of magnetic fields and electric motors and generators in my book.

Inducing magnetism into a ferromagnetic rod

The more elaborate explanation, invokes something called quantum levitation. Magnetic field lines are trapped. Quantum flux tubes are pinned in defects, locking the superconductor in space. Move forward to 2:00 in the explanation for the illustration.

The problem with the quantum explanation is that it invokes quantum tubes and field lines, both of which are entirely mathematical concepts.

The simple explanation mentions field lines too, but we can easily model these as high and low pressures in the aether.