I haven’t actually read a popular-science book in physics for quite some time, so I can’t really answer your question.The phrase “The God Particle” always makes me wince, it’s exactly the sort of hyperbole that leads to howling misunderstandings of what physics is about. It’s not Lederman’s fault, though.
I’ve seen the magnet-in-tube experiment done with an ordinary conductor, which is actually more interesting to watch: If you want to see a magnet falling freely, you can use an ordinary cardboard tube! As for superconductors, it could be the solid-state guys have one lying around, but I haven’t asked. You’d have to cool it to liquid-helium temperatures, or liquid nitrogen if you have a cool modern one, so I don’t know that you’d actually be able to see the magnet fall.
The coolest tabletop experiment I’ve personally done (not counting taking a screwdriver to the BaBar detector) is building cloud chambers and watching the cosmic rays pass through.
He joked that he wanted to call it The Goddamned Particle.
I’ve seen the magnet-in-tube experiment done with an ordinary conductor
Oh, me too, in high school.
If you want to see a magnet falling freely, you can use an ordinary cardboard tube!
Well, in the link, there seemed to be some uncertainty as to whether a magnet in a superconducting tube would fall freely or be pinned.
You’d have to cool it to liquid-helium temperatures, or liquid nitrogen if you have a cool modern one, so I don’t know that you’d actually be able to see the magnet fall.
I haven’t actually read a popular-science book in physics for quite some time, so I can’t really answer your question.The phrase “The God Particle” always makes me wince, it’s exactly the sort of hyperbole that leads to howling misunderstandings of what physics is about. It’s not Lederman’s fault, though.
I’ve seen the magnet-in-tube experiment done with an ordinary conductor, which is actually more interesting to watch: If you want to see a magnet falling freely, you can use an ordinary cardboard tube! As for superconductors, it could be the solid-state guys have one lying around, but I haven’t asked. You’d have to cool it to liquid-helium temperatures, or liquid nitrogen if you have a cool modern one, so I don’t know that you’d actually be able to see the magnet fall.
The coolest tabletop experiment I’ve personally done (not counting taking a screwdriver to the BaBar detector) is building cloud chambers and watching the cosmic rays pass through.
He joked that he wanted to call it The Goddamned Particle.
Oh, me too, in high school.
Well, in the link, there seemed to be some uncertainty as to whether a magnet in a superconducting tube would fall freely or be pinned.
There’s this other axis you can look through...