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submitted 1 day ago by SpaceFox@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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[-] kayzeekayzee 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Hmmmmm.. My intuition tells me something like this could be possible with a vertical alternating magnetic field. If the paperclip formed a closed loop, eddy currents would produce an opposing magnetic field to hold it up. Sorta like in this video: https://youtu.be/5HnihTg1rso

Unfortunately I can't find anything online showing this off, and I'm not really sure what could generate a field like that on the subway anyways.

[-] turtle@lemm.ee 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Thank you for attempting to link a theory to explain it! The video you linked doesn't look too different from what I saw, except that the whole coil seemed to levitate rather than just one end of it like the paperclip did. Still seems like a plausible potential explanation. Thanks again.

this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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