intellectual challenge

[imamartian]

anyone up to taking on a more accurate description that WIKIPEDIA? for levitation?

their attempt is this:

"Levitation (from Latin levitas "lightness")[1] is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact. A number of different techniques have been developed to levitate matter, including the aerodynamic, magnetic, acoustic, electromagnetic, electrostatic, gas film, and optical levitation methods."

What this doesn't deal with is the fact that air is full of molecules just like the wooden table beneath it...... so what are we levitating in?

 

[big-all]

levetation can have many meanings like supported without any visible means [magic]
a set distance away as in magnetic levetaion and propulsion[trains]
floating in the air without visible support and silent

 

[joinerjohn]

According to nuclear physics, we are levitating 1% of what we perceive as mass, into what we perceive as air (but only 1% of the air) (spacing between atoms/molecules).

Wow I must have been on the strong stuff tonight.
Regards nuclear physics and the way an atom is constructed, only 1% of the size of the atom is mass, the rest is empty space (unless it's filled with dark matter) Over to you Prof Stephen Hawking for a further explanation.

 

[imamartian]

levetation can have many meanings like supported without any visible means [magic]
a set distance away as in magnetic levetaion and propulsion[trains]
floating in the air without visible support and silent

but my point is... "floating in the air" means resting on molecules, just like you would on a table !!!

 

[big-all]

levetation can have many meanings like supported without any visible means [magic]
a set distance away as in magnetic levetaion and propulsion[trains]
floating in the air without visible support and silent

but my point is... "floating in the air" means resting on molecules, just like you would on a table !!!

not the same the molecules in a table are so arranged to give support where as air molecules need an active force to give enough resistance

 

[Alarm]

Then the question should read "What are we levitating on?"

 

[joinerjohn]

but my point is... "floating in the air" means resting on molecules, just like you would on a table !!!

Ahh but does it ????????? Think about it, does anything actually rest on a table? There could be a few milli- microns between the object and the table, so it's not really resting on it.

 

[Mrdjc]

Supported by means other than direct physical contact with an item acting under force.

along those lines?

For example a balloon filled with helium tied to an empty bottle would be an item acting under force... remove the string and if the bottle is still supported without any item acting under force attached to it... levitation?

 

[imamartian]

we are all molecules, and we act on other molecules...
so what do words like floating, sinking, flying, levitating actually mean?

(i did say it was an intellectual challenge)

 

[big-all]

we are all molecules, and we act on other molecules...
so what do words like floating, sinking, flying, levitating actually mean?

(i did say it was an intellectual challenge)

molecules are connected in many different way many different densities giving many different forms each giving rise to different structural /support abillities

levetating is generally meant to mean hovering when it should be impossible from what is seen

 

[imamartian]

we are all molecules, and we act on other molecules...
so what do words like floating, sinking, flying, levitating actually mean?

(i did say it was an intellectual challenge)

molecules are connected in many different way many different densities giving many different forms each giving rise to different structural /support abillities

levetating is generally meant to mean hovering when it should be impossible from what is seen

hovering? one of those words.... the challenge is to associate the different molecular entities... so that one is magical in some way !!!

 

[big-all]

by definition molecules are everything in the universe so a pointless exersice to mention them we need to move on to a level nearer to gas solid liquid plazma antimatter ect

 

[joinerjohn]

If something is being "Levitated" then by the definition, it's not resting on air molecules. It's actually an interaction between nuclear forces. The air might surround the levitated item, but the levitated item isn't resting on anything. It's being held in place by quantum forces.
See here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VyOtIsnG71U#!
OOhhh I'm on a roll now.

 

[EddieM]

I can levitate anything i just use my secret recipe of pixie dust and snake oil. damn I've just given the recipe away.