Levitation (physics)

'lightness')[1] is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact.

Levitation excludes hovering flight by insects, hummingbirds, helicopters, rockets, and balloons because the object provides its own counter-gravity force.

If the object is disturbed, it might oscillate around its final position, but its motion eventually decreases to zero due to damping effects.

The containerless conditions may be obtained by opposing gravity with a levitation force instead of allowing an entire experiment to freefall.

For example, a superconducting sample, which can be considered either as a perfect diamagnet or an ideally hard superconductor, easily levitates in an ambient external magnetic field.

Due to the lack of friction on the guide rails, they are faster, quieter, and smoother than wheeled mass transit systems.

For example, a ping pong ball can be levitated with the stream of air from a vacuum cleaner set on "blow" - exploiting the Coandă effect which keeps it stable in the airstream.

This permits very high speeds, and greatly reduces the maintenance requirements for tracks and vehicles, as little wear occurs.

Scientists have levitated frogs,[8] grasshoppers, and mice by means of powerful electromagnets utilizing superconductors, producing diamagnetic repulsion of body water.

The mice acted confused at first, but adapted to the levitation after approximately four hours, suffering no immediate ill effects.