>At 11:15 PM 9/29/99 -0700, you wrote:
>>Yes, superconductors create very nice magnetic levitation.  So do
>electromagnets
>>and magets and gyroscopes.  My goal was a do nothing executive desktop gadget
>>with a magnet just hovering in space over a base.  The liquid nitrogen
>part of
>>supercondctors makes this difficult.
>
>I suppose that you wouldn't be satisfied by a pair of magnets with holes in
>the center and with a wooden dowel running thru the middle? This will
>levitate just fine,with the dowel providing the lateral stabilization.
>

There is also a device where a bar/cylinder magnet sits in a magnetic well
created by powerful magnets on either side. A long horizontal wire at one
end provides lateral stability. This is easy to build and it's a pretty
cool desktop toy. The suspended magnet bobbles around a little in response
to environmental vibration etc.

Seems like it should be possible to replace the wire with electromagnets at
each end in a feedback loop. Might try it some day.

Reg Neale