Meissner Effect

Age

Middle School, High School

Format

Stage Show, Hands-on

Materials

   piece of superconducting wire (small, in Meissner effect box)
   piece of copper wire which would carry the same amount of current (big, heavy, coated in black plastic)
   pyrex dish
   liquid nitrogen (and appropriate LN2 handling equipment, see Liquid Nitrogen)
   piece of high temperature superconductor (about the size of a quarter, wrapped in scotch tape) (in Meissner effect box)
   small, strong magnet (in Meissner effect box)
   plastic tweezers (in Meissner effect box)
   camera which can be hooked to projector (for stage shows) 

Safety Precautions

Science Theatre demonstrators must keep the safety of themselves and their audience in mind at all times. All Science Theatre demonstrators must have read through the Safety Training page. The ST Safety Box with first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc. should always be available to demonstrators. Always wear safety gloves, glasses, and a labcoat if handling chemicals; always perform potentially dangerous demonstrations at a safe distance from the audience; and always keep a very close eye on any volunteers you call from the audience. Add safety information

Follow liquid nitrogen safety procedures when doing the Meissner effect. (See Demos.LiquidNitrogen.)

Preparation

Get liquid nitrogen before the show. Place superconductor in pyrex dish with liquid nitrogren to cool it, adding more LN2 if necessary. It may be useful to prop the superconductor up on a film cannister cap so that the floating magnet will be more visible.

If performing a stage show, arrive early enough to make sure your camera can interface with the projector correctly. (This is a small demo, so without this it is hard to show to a large group.)

'NOTE: DO NOT REMOVE TAPE FROM SUPERCONDUCTOR!' The superconductor used in this demo is made of a ceramic material and will eventually crumble from being cooled and heated repeatedly. Though its strength will weaken over time, the scotch-tape wrapping will help hold it together longer and you will not loose pieces of it.

Demonstration

Writeup in progress, see script on Nuclear Physics Show in the meantime.

What to Say

Writeup in progress, see script on Nuclear Physics Show in the meantime.

Why It Is

Writeup in progress, see script on Nuclear Physics Show in the meantime.