Bismuth Monolith Magnetic / Diamagnetic Levitation - Kinetic Sculpture - Physics Gift for Science Geek - Executive Desk or Office Decor

This is diamagnetic flotation of a 5 mm cube or sphere magnet. The magnet touches nothing but air. The arrangement requires no power of any kind, just a balancing of two bismuth crystals and two magnets. This one is designed to show the amazingly ordered structure of the bismuth crystal. It's cut from a solid chunk of bismuth ingot. This amazing metal just froze the way you see it here. There is no construction, no synthesis and no applied color! It's about 8 inches tall including the crown magnet.

It's very easy to set up. Just put the piece on a semi-level surface. Slip the cube magnet in between the crystals. If the magnet floats, great. If it's too low twist the crown magnet clockwise. If it's too high, twist the crown magnet counter-clockwise.

Dimensions:
Base is 4" x 4"
Height including the base is approximately 9"

What's included:
1. A very similar sculpture to the one in the pictures
2. A crown magnet for the top.
3. Magnets for floating-
Two 4 mm cube magnets
Two 3 mm cube magnets
Two 5 mm wafer magnets
Two sphere magnets


I (like many others) spent hours of my childhood arranging and realigning magnets to try to make another float. I also blew several months allowance trying to build a perpetual machine. Then we reluctantly learned the Earnshaw Principle that explained the futility of our efforts, but Earnshaw didn't teach us about Element 83.

Bismuth is not magnetic. It's diamagnetic. It repels the north and south poles of magnets equally.
In my arrangement, the top magnet attracts the small magnet with enough force to lighten it. The diamagnetic force of the bottom bismuth crystal can then push the little cube or sphere off its surface. The magnet rises, but not so high that it gets sucked all the way up as it would without the bismuth. The top crystal, while not necessary, provides stability, and allows a fraction of a millimeter extra lift.

Please use caution when handling these magnets.

*Neodymium magnets are not for children. Small magnets can pose a choking hazard. If multiple magnets are swallowed, they can attach to one another through intestine walls. This can cause a severe health risk, requiring immediate, emergency surgery if correctly diagnosed.

*Neodymium magnets can affect pacemakers.
The strong magnetic fields near a neodymium magnet can affect pacemakers, ICDs and other implanted medical devices. Many of these devices are made with a feature that deactivates it with a magnetic field. Therefore, care must be taken to avoid inadvertently deactivating such devices.