52
votes
Could there theoretically exist a material so light, that it can levitate in the air just due to the in height decreasing air pressure?
A hot air balloon, or a helium-filled balloon floats in air, so either might meet your criteria.
If you're looking for a solid material, perhaps a sphere of very sparse aerogel, with its outside ...
- 25k
25
votes
Accepted
Earth magnetic field space elevator. No cable
Setting aside the technical details, the biggest problem with this idea would be Earnshaw's theorem, stating that it is impossible to stably levitate a magnetic dipole in another magnetic dipole's (...
- 1,192
9
votes
Accepted
How strong of a magnetic field would I need to lift a human?
How does diamagnetic levitation work?
A non-uniform magnetic field repels an object in which diamagnetism is the predominant magnetic behaviour. We will define magnetic levitation, as the process by ...
- 8,570
7
votes
Accepted
Can compressed air be used to make an object "float?"
Yes.
In practice it probably depends on the temperature, but let's assume not real air, but an ideal gas. Then, all you have to do is to increase the pressure enough for it to have the same (or ...
- 12.7k
7
votes
Defying gravity with vertical shaking?
How did the liquid levitate at 0:37 or at any one of those moments ?
The liquid levitates because the gauge pressure of the gas pushing up on the bottom surface of the liquid is equal to the weight ...
- 109k
6
votes
Could there theoretically exist a material so light, that it can levitate in the air just due to the in height decreasing air pressure?
Is this theoretically possible with only one single material? Yes. Any object occupying a volume of gas (or liquid, or solid) has a slightly higher pressure underneath it than the pressure on top of ...
- 520
6
votes
Accepted
Sound Waves Moving Large Objects?
The power density of sound waves is really low. This means that while you might be able to move small, light things around with loudspeakers that are playing really loud, moving big stuff around ...
- 97.8k
6
votes
Can the Earth's negative charge make negatively charged objects levitate?
The strength of the electric field near the surface of the Earth due to its negative charge is reported to be around $100 \frac V m$.
This field should easily lift an electron, since the force acting ...
- 12.3k
5
votes
If I use a magnet to levitate another magnet, where is the energy coming from?
Since gravity uses energy to push us down to earth
This is incorrect. Gravity does not use energy to pull in us.
If we started falling, then yes, gravity used energy do make us move. But that is ...
- 52.3k
4
votes
Could there theoretically exist a material so light, that it can levitate in the air just due to the in height decreasing air pressure?
Congratulations! You have figured out the basis of Archimedes' principle. The article linked here gives a satisfactory explanation, though the main point can be made simply:
Consider a vertically-...
- 238
3
votes
Does a field weighs something?
If the floating magnet is only supported by the repulsive magnetic force of the magnet on the scale, the scale shows the sum of the weight of both magnets. Therefore the weight measured is the same ...
- 17.1k
3
votes
Is it possible to use forces on a current carrying conductor due to Earth's Magnetic field to levitate?
Philip Wood gives a good introduction to the issues involved.
If instead of copper we use aluminium wire, and instead of diameter 1.0 mm we use a diameter 0.1 mm, then we get (see his answer for the ...
- 61.8k
3
votes
Accepted
How much frequency is needed to make a tennis ball levitate, using only sound?
This is utterly, utterly implausible. Let's do an order of magnitude estimate to see why.
The overpressure involved in a sound wave is related to its decibel level by
$$
L_p = 20 \log_{10} \left( \...
- 51.6k
2
votes
Magnetic levitated electric wire
I work in the Physics department at my university, and part of my job is overseeing the lecture demonstrations for the physics classes, and we have several demonstrations that show the force of a ...
2
votes
Accepted
Are quantum locked things slowed down by air resistance?
Yes, they are. (Source: I perform similar demonstrations at public outreach events pretty regularly.) The disk is (necessarily) pretty thin and not traveling very fast, so it doesn't have a lot of air ...
- 10.1k
2
votes
Air pressure levitation
This is a "how long is a piece of string" question - there isn't really any limit.
Four of these devices can levitate 240 tons. Use more than four, and you can levitate "thousands of tons" according ...
- 10.2k
2
votes
Earth magnetic field space elevator. No cable
Here are some problems that I see :
Scaling issue mentioned by earlier answers, primarily limited by the current density allowed in the superconductor.
The superconductor needs to be high-...
2
votes
Accepted
Is levitation possible through this apparatus?
What you describe is called a "metastable" state. These are states which are mathematically stationary, but any small perturbation from that perfect state causes things to collapse back ...
- 51.7k
2
votes
Is it possible to use forces on a current carrying conductor due to Earth's Magnetic field to levitate?
In principle it's possible, provided that the wire is held by some sort of flexible connections so that it isn't rigidly attached to the rest of the circuit. [If it were rigidly attached, R.W.Bird's ...
- 36.6k
2
votes
Is it possible to use forces on a current carrying conductor due to Earth's Magnetic field to levitate?
Let us consider a thin circular aluminum wire in the Earth's equator plane at the altitude, say, 150 km, i.e., beyond atmosphere, so cooling is not an impossible problem. Aluminum is superconducting ...
- 27.5k
2
votes
Ideas for levitation using Earth's magnetic field and mu-metal
The description of the device you hope to build is not at all clear to me, however, any build-able magnetic device can be described as a dipole. Any magnetic dipole can only experience a net force ...
- 12.2k
2
votes
If you had a good enough power source, could a gyroscope be used for flying/levitation
The weird behavior of a gyroscope in many respects is coming from the attempts of the latter to preserve its angular momentum (both magnitude and direction). Now if you have a body with an angular ...
- 4,193
1
vote
Will superconductor levitate on Earth magnetic field?
I can't plug in numbers right now but I doubt it would levitate. As you increase the superconductor volume, you increase its mass and therefore the weight. You should match this with the force from ...
- 334
1
vote
Accepted
Magnetic levitation using permanent magnets
Technically speaking, yes, but practically speaking, no.
The levitation system of maglev trains generally only relies on static fields, which hypothetically could be reproduced with permanent magnets. ...
- 611
1
vote
Explain hydrodynamic Levitation
When the water hits the ball, the balls start to rotate due to the friction between the water and the ball. It is just like a turbine. Once the ball starts rotating, the fluid following the surface ...
1
vote
Could there theoretically exist a material so light, that it can levitate in the air just due to the in height decreasing air pressure?
You're asking about air, I think, but if you mean gasses in general, then aerogels are a kind of substance that can float on xenon. Wikipedia and YouTube have lots of information.
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1
vote
Could there theoretically exist a material so light, that it can levitate in the air just due to the in height decreasing air pressure?
An alternative to baloons is a spheric shell, with vacuum inside, with a thickness and material strength designed to resist to atmospheric pressure. The force upwards is the equivalent to the weight ...
- 17.1k
1
vote
Earth magnetic field space elevator. No cable
You won't be able to go very far. I am assuming the force that you are assuming will push you is the Earth's magnetic field. The strength of the field is around 0.6 Gauss at the poles and this is not ...
- 1,246
1
vote
How does the change in helium distribution affect a floating balloon
A lighter than air balloon of a certain size, floats, because overall it is lighter than the air it displaces, whatever it's shape. Therefore the less heavier than air materials used to construct the ...
- 8,541
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