Simulates the use of electromagnets to levitate a car.
To try this
simulation:
Click the forward button to propel the car forward. Click the backward button to to propel the car backward. Sound simple? It is.
What's Going On?
The car is suspended on a cushion of magnetic force. In the track on which the car rides are hundreds of magnets all oriented so all the same magnetic poles face upward. There are similar magnets on the bottom of the car. The same magnetic poles face downward. The magnetic forces from like poles repel each other. The closer the like poles get to each other, the more repulsive force is generated.
Since the magnetic force is the only thing holding the car up, and there is no mechanical contact, the friction is very low. Low friction allows very small forces to move the car along.
There's More!
Much research is going on in the field of Maglev transportation. Trains are being designed to carry passengers and cargo at very high speeds over magnetic tracks. The full scale maglev trains will use superconducting magnets to increase the efficiency of the magnetic suspension.
