Super Conductors

[gillian.devaney]

Our super conductor has just smashed, after being used extensively in liquid Nitrogen. Does anyone know where I can get a new one?
Thanks Gillian

[RosalieM]

I think I got our new one from scientrific. Just google them. You can buy the disc on its own which is a lot cheaper than the full kit (although I wish I'd got the kit as no-one told me the tweezers had been snapped as well!! I found out when the new disc turned up and I put it in the box, and there were the broken tweezers! Wasn't impressed...). I found out after ours disintergrated that they aren't supposed to get wet. Now I make sure paper towel goes out with it so it can be dried off and I make sure it isn't wet when I put it away.

[sunray18]

We have a superconductor - still in its original packaging - NO ONE has ever used it..
Can you tell me how you use and what for???

[RosalieM]

We use it with liquid nitrogen and balance a small strong magnet on the air space and spin it, so the magnet is spinning 'mid air'. I don't really know why/how etc but it looks really good!

[dime]

We have just used ours for the first time. Year 12 physics. The super conductor changes its state from a resistor to a superconductor when cooled to -180deg C in liquid nitrogen which is only -170 I think but it still works. The little magnet induces an electrical current flow in the superconductor. This causes the disk to expel the magnet and it spins (levitates). Great fun to watch! It demonstrates the Meissner Effect. I would guess that it is part of the physics curriculum.

[rae]

Hi

Utube has a really good site for super conductors. Google Superconductor Meissner effect Type II its about 6 mins long but really worthwhile.
We didn't get liquid nitrogen this year so used this instead.
Lorrae