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Make a homemade anti-gravity toy (FAKE?) Length 2:00
Curated 3/27/08
Updated 5/1/09 Hosted by metacafe.com
Creator's Site www.blog.myspace.com/weirdpatentv...

F for FAKE. This video has been labeled a "Faux-To". Commonly contested as bogus science, we believe this video to be a hoax. What's your opinion? Comment below.

Using some magnets and a pyrex bowl you can make an amusing anti-gravity chamber with an aluminum card inside that floats in mid air. Just follow along with the steps in this how-to video. To replicate this fun hack in the comfort of your own home, you will need magnets, a copper coil, a playing card, and aluminum foil. Check out this video tutorial and learn how to make a cool anti-gravity toy.

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Comments

+2
Monneyman3 (15) 3/28/08 1:07 AM
Is there any way to make it more decorative and less obvious that there are magnets?
-5
andy6 (1) 10/3/08 5:22 PM
i bet you could use smaller mahnets under the dish
+3
timmy9 (4) 10/18/08 11:12 AM
great trick,great grammar also (sarcasm)
+2
drbraat (1) 10/28/08 7:23 PM
neat..
+2
Redman31 (1) 11/30/08 7:09 PM
Nice !
+3
venom20078 (1) 2/1/09 7:58 AM
now make a hover board
-8
Sohaib Naqvi (-8) 2/17/09 2:56 AM
can you explain me the science behind this, i do think that there is some lousiness in this play.......
sohaibnaqvi3@hotmail.com
+10
scigeek91 (9) 5/27/09 3:19 PM
It is simple magnetism. The strong magnets in the base create a very large and strong magnetic field. The copper coil simply makes it more circular to "handle" an object. The magnetic field induces an electric current in the wire, which in turn creates a small electromagnetic field of its own. This is reacted upon by the small magnets on the corners of the card, repelling off of the coils own field. Hope this helps you doubters.
+5
bhornbuckle75 (2) 7/22/09 11:15 PM
yeah this video mixes just enough real science to make this seem plausible......I dont see how this could work however, unless the contour of the bowl is somehow keeping the card from flipping over...If this were the case though, then the copper coil would serve no purpose. In fact I cannot see how the copper coil could serve any purpose. Of course a magnetic field moving close to a conductor can create an opposing magnetic force (a cool trick is dropping a very very strong magnet (rare earth type if ya got one) down a copper tube, If the magnet is only slightly smaller than the opening of the tube(and the magnet is strong enough) then it will fall very slowly. I see no way, however that a magnet which is simply placed over a copper coil could do much of anything. It would not be moving enough to cause any kind of electrical current to flow through the coil, and without current there is no opposing magnetism. I dont see what the point of faking something like this when there are so many legitamate ways of pulling off similiar feats using both just magnets and induced magnetic fields. This seems to mix just enough science in to confuse people(especialy those just learning about such things) I see no purpose in this video except to discourage people trying to learn....and where is the fun in that???? Why not hoax ignorant people, rather than those just begining to learn of magnetism and induced magnetism and electricity??? IMHO it would feel a whole lot better than fooling people actualy trying to learn...(and it'd be funnier too!)
+1
HartKat (15) 12/6/09 9:17 AM
The little magnets on the corners keep it from flipping.
-1
MODzillafalafel 2/3/10 1:47 PM
huh?
-1
Tuhoisa Shuffle (-1) 2/25/12 1:10 PM
This is plausible and my friends daughter did it as a science project and got an A-. This is an old trick. It's magnetic science. Period.
+2
DrTravia (8) 8/18/09 1:46 PM
+rep mate

The copper only reacts whenever there is either

1) a current of electricity running through it or
2) when magnets are run across the coil, or vice versus.

the copper coil serves no purpose, the reason the card does not flip is because the ten foil adds enough weight to keep the magnets from overcoming the energy needed to flip (you need energy to overcome gravity) (there are 4 points spaced out, the weight of the other magnets keep it from flipping)

The bowl is in place to keep it inside the magnetic field long enough for the card to find equilibrium. It's much easier to do with more magnets....

hmmm, 1 grand eh? I'll take that bet kopper as long as I can modify what he did a little.

Adding 1 more magnet is perfectly fine right?

A fifth properly placed magnet would get rid of the need for a bowl.
+3
tr5vy (8) 7/1/10 11:51 AM
dude you can see the string...
-1
booger118 (2) 10/29/09 8:19 AM
good explamation but hard to understand.
+2
Joseph Tancrede (1) 11/8/11 12:01 PM
The copper coil does nothing for it. Plus, if this video wasn't a spoof, you'd see the card flip over and be attracted to the lower magnets. Magnets do not have a positive and negative side. They're called north and south poles. Looking at the movement of the card, you can tell it's being held up with fishing line.
-10
macrumpton (-10) 2/17/09 7:58 PM
Cool, you can barely see the crystal thread.
+2
firehead (-16) 3/7/09 6:10 PM
Awsome!
+2
firehead (-16) 3/7/09 6:10 PM
Really awsome!
+3
general809 (4) 3/11/09 1:07 PM
dude, it's called MAGNETISM. M-A-G-E-N-T-I-S-M.
its when two magnets react with one another, causing a force.
just for those who thought this was fake
yep, love it man :)
-10
kopperhead (-27) 5/27/09 9:31 AM
This is clearly a FAKE. You are morons "magnetism"? retards...yes there is magnetism, but it the card would fall to one side or flip. Why do you need a bowl? Let's see if you can do it without. It would be difficult as your "magic" string will have nothing to attach to. If you can do it without a bowl, I'll personally give you a $1000.
+3
booger118 (2) 10/29/09 8:21 AM
sure ya would!
-9
kopperhead (-27) 5/27/09 9:32 AM
big deal, you put a board ontop. BIG DEAL... Like I said, you use a very fine thread that can easily be purchased at a magic store, this is attached to the edge of the bowl and to all four corners card, so it doesn't matter if you put something on top of the bowl. You can sit on it, it'll do the same thing....ooohhhh magic. Hey, general809... do some research before you make an comments like that. idiot. Go make me a sandwich.
-2
foro (-7) 11/14/09 5:41 AM
lol, mate, go do a physics degree, or even yr 7 science, lol there is nothing implausible in the video, i question the urpose of the copper wire but everything else makes sense.
i used to do the same thing during physics labs at uni. it really isnt that big of a deal..
+2
general809 (4) 3/11/09 1:08 PM
keep it up
+2
mr kyle (20) 5/11/09 7:52 AM
coolz
-1
Anthonyk312 (-9) 5/24/09 7:32 PM
this isn't antigravity its just magnetism. this is like saying airplane or tables use antigravity. its just a force counteracting gravity not making the force negative.
-8
kopperhead (-27) 5/27/09 9:31 AM
big deal, you put a board ontop. BIG DEAL... Like I said, you use a very fine thread that can easily be purchased at a magic store, this is attached to the edge of the bowl and to all four corners card, so it doesn't matter if you put something on top of the bowl. You can sit on it, it'll do the same thing....ooohhhh magic. Hey, general809... do some research before you make an comments like that. idiot. Go make me a sandwich.
+1
scigeek91 (9) 5/28/09 10:12 AM
It is simple magnetism. The strong magnets in the base create a very large and strong magnetic field. The copper coil simply makes it more circular to "handle" an object. The magnetic field induces an electric current in the wire, which in turn creates a small electromagnetic field of its own. This is reacted upon by the small magnets on the corners of the card, repelling off of the coils own field. Hope this helps you doubters.
+4
tr5vy (8) 7/1/10 11:53 AM
you can see the string why do all of you try to sound all smart when it's a simple magic trick you can buy in downtown disney? sure give the guy some props for creativeness but the magnets and the coil are for SHOW
-8
Gruntfuttock (-8) 5/31/09 1:50 PM
Two words: Earnshaw's Theorem
This is a fake. The copper coil is a pointless distraction; in an unchanging magnetic field it will do nothing; in the presence of a changing magnetic field it will have a current induced in it which tends to oppose that change but so what? If you believe, try it; you will not continue to believe for long.
-1
ace darkwulf (-1) 10/31/09 10:50 AM
hey u lil @#$%^! this actualy works.....so dont be a a$$hole just cause he thought of it 1st
+1
DrTravia (8) 8/18/09 1:52 PM
Instability in at least one direction will allow you to keep it up, learn the law before you yell about it.

Why do you think he used 3 on the bottom and 4 on top?

I'm going to do this now...... I have a few magnets from the electric generator I built.
+3
Hermitesse (6) 6/2/09 5:06 PM
Well, Frontbuttock, apparently you have not yet learned Earnshaw's theorem in it's entirety, wherein the theorem itself states that there are exceptions. You might want to check out http://www.levitron.com/ in order to find out why this actually does work.

This is not a fake.

Now, kopperhead, about that $1000 bucks....
-2
bhornbuckle75 (2) 7/22/09 11:28 PM
No this is indeed fake, I wrote a more about this to a comment just above this one. There is nothing about this hoax that would cause anything to break or even bend Earnshaws theorem. The coil would do nothing, since there would be hardly any magnetic flux to cause current to move through it. Now if the card was spinning very rapidly over a thick piece of copper----I saw a similiar experiement using a round piece of carbon fiber with balenced strong magnets affixed to it-it was spun very rapidly with a drill with a special head attached. Now this experiment caused enough magnetic eddy currents in the copper to make the tiny carbon wafer to float for a moment or so in the air while it spun using nothing but induced current/magnetism. a magnet simply placed above a copper coil (even if it was wiggling just a bit as in this video) would certainly not cause enough current in the coil to do much of anything, and would certainly not have any effect on the 'floating' card with its magnets. The only way I could see this possibly working is if somehow the contours of the bowl were just right to keep the card from flipping....I cannot see how even this could truly be possible however without something else keeping it from flipping....the contour of the bowl would simply not be able to do that IMHO....even if it did..... it would have nothing at all to do with a copper coil and would rely on using a bowl of the exact same contour to be able to replicate the effect.
-2
foro (-7) 11/14/09 5:44 AM
mate... sersiouly.. what is it with you people?
not only did i use to d this during physics labs when i was bored.. but i just saw a toy in a store that used the same basic principles to replicate this exact thing.. its hardly a novel concept anymore..
+2
Harukii (1) 6/5/09 9:43 PM
Gravity just got owned
-5
yvanyug (-9) 6/15/09 12:54 AM
Why would you need aluminum foil? it's not magnetic... Therefore I say fake!
-6
Nerdking13 (1) 7/17/09 8:58 AM
Why do you need skin? It's not vital... Therefore I say you should skin yourself!

ALIVE!
-4
yvanyug (-9) 7/21/09 7:18 PM
......
-3
leyland_potluri (-5) 7/15/09 5:15 AM
lavade ke baal .. madarchod...janatha ko chootiya samaj rakhe ho kya... gaand me dalo tere anti gravity device. taaki tum ud sakthe ho. haram kor
-2
leyland_potluri (-5) 7/15/09 5:18 AM
build your toilet on the floating card, so that ur $hit can float over it and u can reach any time and eat it
-1
PotatoAssassin (5) 7/31/09 2:54 AM
Hermitesse, i have been noticing your comments on other people's reactions to videos, and i have to say... 5 stars! hey kopperhead! should i make a sandwhich for your mother, too? Having sex with her made her REALLY hungry.
-2
PMPNMOTION (-2) 8/11/09 4:27 PM
i know exactly how he did it haha. just because he put a board on top doesnt mean their is not strings i have a simple magic trick just like this. notice how when his hand(object) goes in the downward direction it goes up and when his hand goes up the object goes down. think about it. pull on the sting down it will go up because its trying to go up and out. same process with going up. nice try tho ;-]
-1
DrTravia (8) 8/18/09 2:01 PM
iron/steel tends to take on the charge of whatever magnetic field its placed into. The iron acted as an extender when placed between the magnets and when it was placed above the magnets extended along the metal but lost some of its resistance to the other magnets in the process.

sorry if that didnt make sense, I tried to dumb it down enough so you could understand it.

Also for the card to be stable and to move the way it did he would need 4 strings. putting it on 1 hand would be tiresome, plus why would he do that when you could see the indention of the wire around his hand/finger or wherever you believe he had it, it makes more sense to have someone controlling it off camera.

Your "cleverness" astounds me, I believe you may be the next einstein...... (sarcasm is fun >:D)

I couldnt pull it off the way he did it for some reason, I had to add a fifth magnet to the card to make it work correctly.
+1
lalagirl015 8/18/09 2:00 PM
All you people saying its fake..why dont you try it and tell me its fake. Geez...just relax guys
+4
TRiCk (3) 8/26/09 3:51 PM
It's fake,
Proof:
1) At 0:02 - 0:05 the "invisible thread" is next to his thumb, look closely.
2) The sizzors party, and there is strings.
If you take a pair of panty hose or w.e and take out the threads by hand you can actually get a thread that is almost invisible to the naked eye.
theres just 2 rows of these threads lined up like so, | | and the aluminum foil/card is balanced on them.
one end is tied to the sizzers which explains the movement of the aluminum foil.
-2
foro (-7) 11/14/09 5:47 AM
err have u tried this mate?...
cause its got nothign to do with threads and everything to do with magnetic fields.. its actually a very basic concept.. try hittin up your science class one day and not ditching it,.
+2
ichbinschoen1994 (1) 9/4/09 2:28 AM
ihr penner
+1
alinuguid11 9/8/09 11:59 AM
COOL..! ^^
-1
Pred8er (-1) 9/9/09 2:51 PM
its a simle fake video with a card on water o0
+1
lady gaga 9/24/09 3:17 AM
nice...........it is so amazing....it so insane
+2
SId Grimm (2) 10/2/09 5:55 AM
Good point in an above statement. How and why does the tin foil effect this experiment?
+1
RonDLite 10/6/09 5:35 AM
some of the reactions here make me wonder if people get educated on school still. tesla ring a bell? got a fridge? :S
+2
mike91325 (-1) 10/17/09 8:09 PM
yall white people are crazy, talkin bout magnets.
+2
Perry62 (1) 10/19/09 10:40 AM
Not possible, don't you believe it...
+1
reins 10/22/09 2:36 AM
Notice that after the TEXT "LETS SEE HOW IT WORKS" the copper wire disapears inside the bottle...!!! the copper wire !!! ???
+2
kroug005 (1) 10/24/09 12:27 AM
look closely, at 0:02 -- 0:04 you can see a very thin clear wire. If you notice it it's very obvious. It's coming from his thumb and most visible near the bottom middle of the video.
+1
booger118 (2) 10/29/09 8:27 AM
notice when it ses put small magnet on foil he has a piece of nylon in his hand pleas rate +1 each time :)
-2
chineseguy (-1) 11/2/09 1:55 PM
wow the idiots that think this is fake need to pay attention in school those were magnets you dumbasses
-1
justaposter (-1) 11/9/09 10:02 PM
Wow, I never knew people were so passionate about magnets. I think if the video shows anything it's that it is worth trying on your own. If it works, great, apply it to a use and market it. If it does not then you lost 15 minutes of your life and gained valuable knowledge. Stop fighting so much about it, save that for hockey games.
-1
foro (-7) 11/14/09 5:51 AM
lol everyone who still doesnt understand the concept of magnetic fields by this day and age should really try to attend their science class one day.. this is NOT a new concept and has been used in kids toys for ages. its basic science guys. cmon. pay attention, i got taught this stuf in yr 7 and that was 10 years ago. we were playing with the same experiment THAT long ago. geez, what are they teaching you these days?
-2
HartKat (15) 12/6/09 9:11 AM
This is some amazing $hit
-2
lazybeaver (-3) 12/28/09 7:24 AM
It's ok, the people who know how to make amazing #$%@ with this will run everything and everybody else will do all the hard work putting it together =D
-1
Pinkdiamonds (-1) 3/21/10 2:28 PM
I can't wait to try this experiment and show others how to do it.
+4
tr5vy (8) 7/1/10 11:45 AM
omg god guy's OF-COURSE this is fake notice how it looks like he set's it down on something! and how it swings from side to side! you can see the string half way through the video in the side view! it's right there!
i don't know much about magnets but i do know about magic tricks and i can tell you this is fake for sure! YOU SEE THE STRING!!!!
-2
Gary Martin (-2) 7/15/10 8:45 PM
didn't make it, bu i can tell it is real! i mean that board thing was a give away that it was real! so cool! wanna try it...
+3
SteveGrant (2) 2/1/11 12:42 AM
I have a drawer full of magnetic gadgets, a couple of which levitate. I've also got a few which aren't magnetic (a balancing bird, and one that uses air).

None of them behave like this.

I have a floating pen which works with four magnets in the base, and two in the pen. They are arranged in such away that 3 magnets at two ends form a triangle, with two magnets at each end hidden under a plastic cradle, and one magnet hidden in each end of the pen. It levitates well but there is a catch. The end with the nib, has a clear plastic plate attached to the base, perpendicular to the pen. This gives the pen something to act against, and stops it from flying off or flipping poles. I've removed the plate and it turns out to amount of careful balancing will make it float.

The other gadget is a spinning top, which needs a plastic plate to be spun against, but this is removed and it really does float, held up only by magnetism. BUT it keeps itself centered and upright with centripetal force.

Now on to the video. It's fake.

As I mentioned before, getting magnetic levitation to balance is extremely precise! Glueing 4 magnets randomly to a tatty old card is not the kind of science that's going to win you the Nobel prize for inventing sweet hoverboards! Notice at no point in the video does he ask you to check the polarity of the magnets?

Now watch how it wobbles, back and forth, on the string at 1:02
Not side to side.
Then drawing blatant attention to the board, he might as well have said "nothing up my sleeves"; alarm bells should ring at this point unless you've never even heard of magicians.
At this point he pulls the string taught on the back side, causing the card to tilt forwards. Then the front string causing it to rise, etc. notice it doesn't tilt any other direction but it does wobble left and right!
Try it yourself: tape two pieces of thread about 0.5cm apart on a card and rest in a bowl. the sides act as afulcrum. Notice which way it wobbles. ;-)
Source: Tried it
-2
Samith Hettiarachchi (-11) 7/26/11 9:51 AM
good
-2
Nitin Kothari (-2) 9/15/11 3:56 AM
Good science
+1
Dylan Tuttle 3/4/12 5:17 PM
This is not fake, and I can explain why. first of all, the card has enough weight and surface area to keep the magnets from flipping. the tin foil is to add some extra weight. The three base magnets are repelling the four on the card. there has to be three magnets. one base magnet will not cut it. to understand why, imagine trying to balance a ball on top of a ball. It wont work because there is only one point of contact. Now imagine balancing one ball on top of three balls arranged in a triangle. There are three points of contact and the top ball will stay. in this case, the magnetic fields of the magnets are the balls and that is why it balances. as a matter of fact, the more base magnets there are, the more balanced it will be. The container is best used to keep the card from moving out of the range of the base magnet's magnetic field, although it is not entirely necessary. The coil of copper wire at the bottom has no uses at all as far as I know. I constructed one of these and i removed it and noticed nothing different. I hope this explanation made sense and if you do not believe me, try it for yourself. I did that and had fun.
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