Levitation with the Levitron

We show an interesting commercially available toy that is the highest magnetic levitation device we've seen so far

[@MartiniSaysNo]

His voice sounds like the type of voice you'd hear when a criminal is talking to the police anonymously but doesn't want to his voice to be recognisable

[@HanEllen]

He changes his voice, it's not his real voice.

[@MartiniSaysNo]

***** Really? That's not his real voice? You must be the next generation of intelligence.

[@SocceRLovers11]

John Doge i like ur pic..dogi

[@MartiniSaysNo]

***** Wow, you replied late

[@MartiniSaysNo]

Lel indeed

[@L33tP1ckL]

Knowing how and why this works doesn't make it any less spectacular. Very entertaining!

[@GMCLabs]

Just found one of those at Goodwill. It was only like $4. After getting it home I can understand how it got there. I'm sure the previous owner never got it to work. They are very figitty. Took me like an hour to get it balanced and working. I could see how ppl could get frustrated with it and quit.

[@Elitistb616]

So, you should stick this in a vacuum jar to remove air friction, with some arms surrounded by vacuum seals so that the top can be spun and the clear plastic platform can be raised then removed.

[@nisnber5760]

Hey I actually have a levitron, and it really is fascinating!

[@nattsurfaren]

You can use compressed air to speed up the rotation very high. Using vacuum would be interesting also.

[@Sturrmm]

I wish they made more science based toys like this these days

[@WhatKindOfNameNow]

Awesome little demo. While the concepts are fairly basic, this video did answer one question I had, and that was about the hole in the center of the Levitron magnet. I haven't ever gotten to really look at one before, so I wasn't aware of that.

[@kilroy1964]

@bookey80 Yes, you're absolutely right. I used the common term, but "gyroscopic force" is actually a rotating body attempting to preserve the directional aspect of its rotational momentum vector.

[@Deathranger999]

Damn, are you lucky. :/ I went there once, and had the best time of my life. You have a very nice country, my friend. :)

[@HouseholdHacker]

INCEPTION

[@donski6534]

I covered the base with a box and freaked my friends out. LOOL

[@NurdRage]

@prowokator LOL "Darth Science" ya know i actually like that one :)

[@LukeVader77]

Wow! Spinning of course! That makes sense now.

[@marcchabotyt]

hey nurdrage, i recentle shopped for a levitating globe, and the most facinating one was the mova globe, just google for mova globe and you'll find it. no electricity, no battery, it does not fall after a short time and it rotate be itself with the energy of the sun, but no solar panels are involved. it would be an interesting topic for your nerdy channel.

[@AScannerClearly]

I'd also wonder how long it could go in a vacuum, but I imagine if the air is pumped out too fast, the air currents might flip the top over. Too slow & the air resistance will slow it down too much & shorten it's in-vacuum float time (as perfect vacuums don't exist).

[@NurdRage]

@itsabomberscope Actually i work a few hundred miles over at the white mesa research lab. You don't hear about us as much because we don't make mistakes like open portals and unleash alien havoc. ;)

[@cartilige]

parrafin wax will harden. But parrafin liquid (often used in oil lamps) is liquid till below 0 degrees C

[@killadroid2]

Man, that's sweet! I've never seen anything like that before :P

[@labmaster49]

there are actually floating globes as well and the floating globes can stay levitated forever as long as it is plugged in

[@Theskidmark61]

Too Cool! Who has plans to build this at home? OR Who has built this at home? GOTTA GO PLAY WITH MY MAGNETS NOW!

[@SludgeSlinger]

Nicely done!

[@Forget29it]

Nice underground labratory filled with high tech stuff :D wish i have one

[@MrLogicChannel]

"Fucking magnets, how do they work?!"

[@ignazszlacheta5392]

MrLogicChannel - Richard Feynman xD

[@archiveevidenceexoticweapo6733]

MrLogicChannel Check out ken Wheeler on youtube

[@boptah7489]

It would be interesting if the experiment was done on weighing scales , with and without the spinning top. This could d be a way of proving weightlessness without gravitational acceleration.

[@TheOmigoshification]

I really like that it doesn't fall over even with something between the spinning top and the magnet. Is this due to the power of the magnet? Sorta of reminds me of a third grade science project I did. But of course I wasn't able to make something levitate :)

[@_Piers_]

@gushhnet Yes, the removal of the friction caused by the air would let it spin for longer.

[@syvesdh]

petition to use the levitron in the vacumm chamber to remove air resistance that cause the spin to slow down. that way it will spin forever(?)

[@Alabastor_Twob]

Nope, the reason for the spinning is gyroscopic stabilization. The base doesn't need to spin since it is rigidly supported from the ground to prevent it from flipping. Since the top has no rigid support, it must be spun to stabilize it.

[@skyebuddha]

your smart always entertaining and i learn something in all of your videos this is what all schools should be like

[@NurdRage]

@BigWhiteZombie you might need to turn on the sound, alternatively, if the sound isn't working for ya, turn on the subtitles.

[@NurdRage]

@imaginaryswordsman oh no worries, i actually get less trolls than most channels. The few i have are just more prominent because i like to flame them. Then they come back for more. :) i'm actually very happy with my subscribers and the comments i get. Some channels ten times my size get so much trolling that i would never want to be them.

[@NurdRage]

@RB13240 ya see? its a matter of subjectivity. I try to appeal to everyone some of the time by having variety. but in doing so, i cannot appeal to some people people all the time. But i still think doing a variety of videos is important. Eventually i'll do something you like.

[@NurdRage]

@Pipewing i did, the week i made them was the only week i ever made them. But people still like to dig that up and ignore the rest of my videos. It seems they just want a reason to hate and don't care that I've stopped. Their problem i guess.

[@dom214]

I've probably been watching too much Mythbusters, but can we get more bang out of this? Perhaps by arranging several other magnets to modify the position of the magnetic sink?

[@JoaquinVacas]

I like to spend time watching your channel and other science videos. Thanks!

[@Silver_light77]

@0adireita an easy way to figure that out is to use a magnet you know the polarity of, the opposite polarity would line up and you have you're answer

[@SeanLain]

Maybe if you adapted some air fins on the spinner, and a cyliner around it, you could use air flow to keep the spinner going.

[@ognog3489]

i love all of your videos!!!!

[@Briakachu]

I'm convinced that you are Bill Nye the Science Guy in disguise.

[@EbonJackal]

A very educational vid, indeed. Interesting, too.

[@KyleCarrington]

Build a little circular ring / stand that sits at its levitation heigh and align neodynium magnets in such a way that possibly the OTHER, new magnets mike keep it spinning indefinitely :) Just a thought.

[@NurdRage]

@YdeckW You see? so right after i make a synthesis video i do a simple physics video and you start complaining i don't have the quality used to have.... RIGHT AFTER i make something you like... and you claim im "loosing video ideas" I know you're a faithful subscriber and that's fine, but i can't make every single video catered to you. i need to keep the variety i've always had.

[@bookey80]

@kilroy1964 To be more precise "gyroscopic force" is not a force at all. It is an effect, a human invention to easily describe complex behavior of rotating systems.

[@crazyrainbowalcohol]

So, as it spins, would it be correct to say that it is frictionless movement and will basically levitate forever unless acted upon by an outside force?

[@Ed_Aylward]

Can you tell me if the top levitates longer depending on which way the top is spun? Which averages longer levitation, clockwise or counter clockwise? Are you in the northern or southern hemisphere? Can you attempt this in a vacuum bell? I bought a levitron to answer this question but it was missing some weights and I have not been able to get the top to levitate. If you have time to address this question it would be greatly appreciated.

[@yosupdude556]

I love your vids im getting this for cristmas ^_____________^

[@yahoorif]

This is really interesting!

[@0irtgud]

That's not the point gravity will be anywhere you are, if you move away from an object the gravitational field strength just decreases. In a vacuum there's no air resistance, so the levitron is able to spin freely without the air molecules hitting it, etc. which means it can spin longer

[@sublucid]

At first when I got mine, it wouldn't stay up, and it would always fall over to one side. Then, I used some magnetic paper to analyze the magnetic field of the magnet, and it was a complete mess! I guess I was unlucky to get a dysfunctional levitron. It looked pretty fun too.

[@gigipah]

I really like this; it is really interesting.

[@cartilige]

@TheBramptonMan Mineral Oil is often used in baby oil.

[@mrphoenix7612]

Thanos: too much balance Imma buy one right now!!!

[@MegaSiphy]

Nice chair pockets. :3

[@DovusOperiorXLife]

That was the Nurdiest way of spending money. :)

[@NurdRage]

@YdeckW didn't i synthesize potassium chlorate from household chemicals in my last video?

[@TheVlogfather1]

AdBlock Plus. Downloading it was the best decision I ever made.

[@Master1906]

No, this is about the frictional effects that air causes on the magnet.

[@_Piers_]

@SonOfFurzehatt Basically it only has the amount of engery you put into it. So the momentum from the spinning and the potential from lifting it into place. Even in a vacume I belive this would still slow down and stop, but at a slower rate than in air - the magnetic forces must create some kind of friction..or friction like effect. Have a look at the Wiki for perpetual motion theres a lot of nice info on there :)

[@ApertureScience27]

You should put it in a vacuum! Perpetual motion! Oh, wait, it would probably induce eddy currents in conductive objects which would slow it down :(

[@TheMrShadowWolf]

@teckwizz123 Nope Even In The Air There Is Friction Which Is Why Things Slow Down Even In Air. When You Run Air Moves Past you With Friction.

[@morganhv]

You should put it in a vacuum chamber to see if even less friction will increase the levitation time noticeably.

[@aleksihakli]

@egokick there'll always be some inertia coz you can't get a perfect vacuum and it's hard to accelerate it into a spinning motion in a vacuum tube or alike. Electromagnetic devices would probably be the easiest way :p

[@prowokator]

All heil Darth Science! Love your videos, thanks!

[@GMCLabs]

this is a great example of persistence. a mathematician proved this to be mathematically impossible. So anyone trying to levitate 2 magnets was scorned by the scientific community.obviously the mathematician and the scientists were wrong and someone figured this out!

[@dr4cula]

Awesome as always!

[@XenogeneGray]

@Budietoyka By exchanging virtual photons :) All electromagnetic forces (electricity and magnetism forces) work by exchanging virtual photons. Read up on the "standard model of particle physics" for more info.

[@mcwolf90]

Nice chairs ;)

[@egokick]

@JohnKapsis1985 put it inside a vacuum, no air resistance will make it spin longer.

[@MegaAstrodude]

Cool video; I just bought one.

[@Red-guy-1114]

that would work onyl if no other forces acted on it. However, that is impossible because of heat's property to move all particles, including air. it is more possible in a vacuum but it would have to be perfectly oriented exactly level with both the base magnet and the gravitational pull of everything around it, except the earth. Even if yo were to do that, which would be incredibly difficult, i imagine there would still be some other force acting on it. So technically yes, but really no.

[@BassBoy0081]

Your channel is awesome! So are your video's. They're amusing to watch but, normally when i try to attempt them... I blow something up or nearly kill myself. Definatley worth it though.

[@waptek2]

1:13 its not gyroscopic levitation its Spin-stabilized magnetic levitation

[@NurdRage]

@YdeckW THANK YOU

[@MrJdmcd3]

How long would it last if it were in a vacuum?

[@udhi_gn3893]

forever... not really...everything will stop moving on its time. even the earth itself will eventually stop spinning within billions of years a vacuum will reduce the friction with the air and may keep that thing spinning for approximately tens of minutes or even an hour. but the earth's gravity still there, helped the slowing-down process.

[@Pipewing]

Ditch the action figure hate videos and you probably will get less hate and more respect. Of course, another great video here.

[@NurdRage]

@RB13240 how were the glow sticks vs hot ice?

[@NurdRage]

@kilroy1964 i think i mention that, please read the transcript

[@Ulfhednar-o9t]

Belive me, i had an argument about that with a creationist. He told me gravity was also a theory just like evolution. i was like.... O_o I dont offend no one, I think they do a good job doing that on themselves.

[@bluenight317]

if u built a box around it and made it a vacuum after getting it up and levitating would it spin for ever? i would assume so as there is not air friction but there might be the magnetic field to slow it down.

[@TKTmon]

you should throw a glass jar into the mix and pull a vacuum and see how long it spins for without drag.

[@SonOfFurzehatt]

@gushhnet I had the exact same thought. Could it create perpetual motion? The answer is, of course, no, but I don't know why not. I want to see this experiment done!

[@NurdRage]

@RB13240 i don't know how much more detailed i can make a video like "make glowsticks- the science" without making it boring.

[@fauxpassant]

@thomasdc123 Usually, he doesn't. Y' all are very curious about what he wears.

[@solokat1980]

Excellent explanation. Too bad other techy vids here on youtube are not done as well as this one was.

[@_Piers_]

@Nurdrage I've said something in response to a question someone asked, I'm pretty certain it's the right aswer...but I'm not sure what the force would be called. Am I correct in saying that the forces between the two magnets contributes towards the forces that slow and eventually stop this from spinning? For the life of me I can't remember what that force would be called.

[@themassau]

@plavins1 doesn't it create inductive heat from the magnetism ,if it is than it will slow dawn after some time

[@63NY1]

@TheSambond007 theroretically, yes. that would be awseome. i wonder if NurdRage could do a video of that somehow.

[@darth108209]

@NurdRage your awsome! keep up the vids.

[@NeVeC10809]

Make it gargantuan, and static. Put it in space and boom! Infinite energy. Maybe

[@thenoob69]

One step closer to a real life hover board

[@Rxe08]

Where can I purchase a replacement magnetic top for this model of Levitron? Thank you.

[@flamingfigures]

Got one of those in my physics room I'm always playing with :p

[@Y0pbe]

@artifactingreality I guess that the gravity of the Earth isn't the same everywhere. Maybe that has an impact.

[@robinhooodvsyou]

That`s an awesome toy

[@wyldedude]

Oh my god, your voice is amazing!

[@iLivez]

so cool. Definitely picking this up :)

[@nerdalert226]

Nice chair pants.

[@michalchik]

gee, there must be a way to put energy into the rotation of the top to keep it going.

[@jfarinhote]

Next step for the toy, perpetual movement while in levitation mode :-)