Part 9/13:
To quantify the levitation’s force, Paul sets a copper plate on a scale and elevates the coil above it to measure how much downward pressure the magnetic field exerts. The results show that the best coil (coil number 2) exerts approximately 5 pounds of pressure. These quantitative insights help gauge the magnetic force’s magnitude and stability across different coil and material configurations.
Key Observations and Conclusions
Having conducted multiple trials, Paul summarizes several critical insights:
Copper plates outperform aluminum in supporting higher levitation heights, owing to their purity and conductivity.
Plate thickness beyond 3/8 inch shows diminishing returns for increasing levitation height, likely due to magnetic field penetration limits.