Re: [FT] Magnetic Bases

I dunno about the pen, and I am far from a physicist, but if you put a
ring
of powerful magnets on say, an AOL coaster, all with the same pole
facing
upward, with a little help from some super glue, and then another magnet
on
the ship you wanted to float, with the same pole facing downward,
wouldn't
it sit in the "trough" of the ring?  I don't have any magnets on me, or
I'd
go home and try this tonight, but from what I know about them, that
should
work, right?  If it did, you could make all your major FT ships
"floaties."
:o)

God bless,
- Buddy

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----- Original Message -----
From: John Crimmins <johncrim@voicenet.com>
To: <gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, July 25, 1999 8:08 PM
Subject: [FT] Magnetic Bases

> Okay, here's a weird question....
>
> I've recently come into possession of one half of a model of a Cylon
> Basestar.  Naturally, I intend to turn it into a space station, as in
that
> photograph from More Thrust.	This is, in and of itself, harmless.
> Unforunately, I happened to see an ad in the AS&S catalog today, which
> offered for sale:
>
> ....5/8" x 5" long ball point pen...floats magnetically above a slek
black
> base.  Give a a twirl and it will spin forever - well at least five
> minutes....
>
> Now, this Basestar bit is not all that heavy.  And I'm not going to be
> adding all that much stuff to it.  And the idea of the space station
> floating above the table is really appealing....  However, my past
> experience with toys of this nature involve the floating object
inevitably
> "sliding" to one side or the other, unless something it holding it in
> place.  Anyone know if I could manage to do this somehow?  It's only
> $14.95, so it's probably worth the investment, but I'd like some input
from
> people who had a physics class or two first.
> John X Crimmins
> johncrim@voicenet.com
>   "...is one of the secret masters of the world: a librarian.
> They control information.  Don't ever piss one off."
>   --Spider Robinson, The Callahan Touch.
>