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I just watched this video: https://www.facebook.com/HigherPerspective/videos/1162007547164896/

I don't understand what I see. If the spinner's magnetic, the bowl is made of iron and that the wood piece is magnetic too. Shouldn't the iron bowl mess the magnetic field? Can someone explain how this works?

Another similar image from Wikipedia:

enter image description here

hazzey
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Michael Schwartz
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1 Answers1

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This is an example of spin stabilised magnetic levitation.

It's really just two magnets repelling each other, one in the wooden base, one in the spinning top; with opposite poles facing each other. This system of two magnets isn't stable on its own but the fact that the top is spinning provides gyroscopic stabilization. The bowl, bubbles, smoke and bits of wood are just cosmetic and have nothing to do with how it actually works.

Chris Johns
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