The situation is similar to what we used to do as kids, take a vertical wood dowel, with a ring magnet placed at the bottom, and another ring magnet opposing it, floating on top.

More precisely, it would be a round or square magnet, levitated over a similar magnet fixed in place on the bottom. The levitated magnet would have horizontal and rotational motion constrained, so that only vertical motion is allowed.

The Levitated magnet is then hit so that it oscillates vertically. The levitated magnet also can have a weight placed on it.

I'm 30 years past my last college physics class and lack the background to approach this problem analytically. I've tried several experiments to get a handle on it from a practical standpoint, but can't explain what I'm seeing.

I guessed that adding more weight on top of the levitating magnet would decrease the period. But (looking at it with a scope), it appears to have little or no effect. (I suspect what's happening here is that the magnets get pushed closer together, and that somehow offsets in increase in weight)

The only thing that does seem to make a difference is increasing the magnetic field (by stacking magnets on bottom), which slows the oscillation down.

The situation is similar to what we used to do as kids, take a vertical wood dowel, with a ring magnet placed at the bottom, and another ring magnet opposing it, floating on top.

More precisely, it would be a round or square magnet, levitated over a similar magnet fixed in place on the bottom. The levitated magnet would have horizontal and rotational motion constrained, so that only vertical motion is allowed.

The Levitated magnet is then hit so that it oscillates vertically. The levitated magnet also can have a weight placed on it.

I'm 30 years past my last college physics class and lack the background to approach this problem analytically. I've tried several experiments to get a handle on it from a practical standpoint, but can't explain what I'm seeing.

I guessed that adding more weight on top of the levitating magnet would decrease the period. But it appears to have little or no effect. (I suspect what's happening here is that the magnets get pushed closer together, and that somehow offsets the increase in weight)

The situation is similar to what we used to do as kids, take a vertical wood dowel, with a ring magnet placed at the bottom, and another ring magnet opposing it, floating on top.

More precisely, it would be a round or square magnet, levitated over a similar magnet fixed in place on the bottom. The levitated magnet would have horizontal and rotational motion constrained, so that only vertical motion is allowed.

The Levitated magnet is then hit so that it oscillates vertically. The levitated magnet also can have a weight placed on it.

I'm 30 years past my last college physics class and lack the background to approach this problem analytically. I've tried several experiments to get a handle on it from a practical standpoint, but can't explain what I'm seeing.

I guessed that adding more weight on top of the levitating magnet would decrease the period. But (looking at it with a scope), it appears to have little or no effect. (I suspect what's happening here is that the magnets get pushed closer together, and that somehow offsets in increase in weight)

The only thing that does seem to make a difference is increasing the magnetic field (by stacking magnets on bottom), which slows the oscillation down.

I'm interested in slowing the period, without adding magnets.

The situation is similar to what we used to do as kids, take a vertical wood dowel, with a ring magnet placed at the bottom, and another ring magnet opposing it, floating on top.

More precisely, it would be a round or square magnet, levitated over a similar magnet fixed in place on the bottom. The levitated magnet would have horizontal and rotational motion constrained, so that only vertical motion is allowed.

The Levitated magnet is then hit so that it oscillates vertically. The levitated magnet also can have a weight placed on it.

I'm 30 years past my last college physics class and lack the background to approach this problem analytically. I've tried several experiments to get a handle on it from a practical standpoint, but can't explain what I'm seeing.

I guessed that adding more weight on top of the levitating magnet would decrease the period. But (looking at it with a scope), it appears to have little or no effect. (I suspect what's happening here is that the magnets get pushed closer together, and that somehow offsets in increase in weight)

The only thing that does seem to make a difference is increasing the magnetic field (by stacking magnets on bottom), which slows the oscillation down.