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I am currently building a diamagnetic levitator with a strong neodymium magnet, two slabs of bismuth (a diamagnetic material), and a small neodymium cube to levitate. However, I was wondering if it would be possible to levitate a larger subject like a piece of metal the size of an iphone. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

This is the type of diamagnetic levitator I am referring to:

enter image description here

(Pyloric Graphite is a diamagnetic material)

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  • $\begingroup$ Can you maybe post a link how this works (the geometry etc), is there an explanation on the internet? Also: why should it not be possible to make it bigger, did you try? Or are you asking where to get bigger magnets? :) $\endgroup$
    – Ilja
    Commented Apr 24, 2016 at 0:13

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Of course in theory nothing stops you from doing the same thing on a bigger scale. Consider however that the effect is rather feeble and you need really strong field for heavier objects, which is expensive and quite cumbersome. The relevant equation is given here.

If you are mainly looking for a fascinating project, I would consider magnetic levitation, either stabilized using feedback or by having revolving magnets or some such. The version using feedback requires a bit of electronics knowledge but I have heard it is both interesting and doable.

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