Magnetic Sheres on a Plate and Air in a Can

 

Code Number: 1Q60.38

Demo Title: Spinning Double Spheres

Procedure:

Place the pair of magnetic spheres on the plate.  Give them a spin by hand and then use the compressed air can to spin them up to very high revolutions by directing the air to a tangent to the spinning spheres.  When the revolutions become high enough, you should see one end of the sphere pair raise up off the plate.

References:

  • David P. Jackson, David Mertens, Brett J. Pearson, "Hurricane Balls: A Rigid-body-Motion Project for Undergraduates", AJP, Vol. 83, #11, Nov. 2015, p. 959.
  • David Jackson, "The Spinning Double Sphere", Physics Today, Vol. 69, #2, Feb. 2016, p. 72.

Video and Editing Credit: Jonathan M. Sullivan-Wood.

1Q60.38 - Spinning Double Spheres