Thank you for answering my question Nidum. I understand that both forces are dynamically unstable, Earshaw's theorum and all that. I'm not looking for modern world applications so magnetic leakage isn't a concern. I'm writing a television story set in the early 20th century where a Elon Musk...
According to wikipedia:
Magnetic attraction varies inversely with the cube of distance, so minor changes in distance between the magnets and the rail produce greatly varying forces. These changes in force are dynamically unstable – a slight divergence from the optimum position tends to grow...
It's EMS that concerns me. And for the purposes of this discussion I'm excluding the forward propulsion provided by linear induction. I'm trying to determine whether it's possible to levitate a train using only the repulsive force of like polarity. In other words could a train with permanent...
Thanks Dave. Here's what I'm basing this on.
http://emt18.blogspot.ca/2008/10/maglev-suspension-systems.html
And specifically the following excerpt:
The electromagnetic suspension EMS uses attractive force system to levitate. The train’s levitation magnet will be attracted to the conductors...
I'm trying to find out why EMS maglev trains use magnetic attraction instead of repulsion. Given that the attractive force diminishes with distance it seems the forces would have to match exactly or else one of the two forces would win out and the train would come to a grinding halt.
But with...
I'm trying to find out why EMS maglev trains use magnetic attraction instead of repulsion. Given that the attractive force diminishes to the square with distance, the countervailing forces would have to match exactly would they not? It seems to me that with like polarity between the track and...