216

5.3
Jumping Ring
A coil of wire wound around a short,
cylindrical, laminated iron core is
energized to propel a ring of aluminum up
to the ceiling.

MATERIALS

iron-core solenoid1

push button with rugged contacts

continuous ring of aluminum to fit

over the iron core

permanent magnet (optional)

identical ring with gap in it (optional)

iron rod (optional)

dish of liquid nitrogen and safety

glasses (optional)

capacitor to resonate the solenoid at 60

(or 50) Hz (optional)

light bulb and coil (optional)

PROCEDURE

The
coil
(sometimes
called
Thomsons coil after Elihu Thomson, 1853 1937) can be operated directly from the
60-Hz (or 50-Hz) power line through a push button switch with contacts rugged enough
to stand the arcing that occurs when the switch is opened. A 10-cm-diameter core about
20 cm long with several hundred turns of #16 wire provides sufficient magnetic field and
inductance to propel the ring while limiting the current to a tolerable value. Point out that
aluminum is not normally a magnetic material, and show that it is not attracted to a
permanent magnet, but that the induced current flowing in it momentarily magnetizes it.
You can make an aluminum ring by sawing off the end of an aluminum pipe [1].
1

Available from PASCO Scientific

5.3 Jumping Ring

217

You can place an iron rod or pipe,

perhaps 40 cm long, on top of the core to
concentrate and extend the magnetic
field, causing the ring to jump much
higher into the air. Make a lengthwise
saw cut in the iron pipe to remove eddy
currents. By cooling the ring in a dish of
liquid nitrogen (196C), you can make
the ring go even higher. If the ring has a
gap in it, it will not move when you
energize the coil. You can demonstrate
continuous rings of different materials. If
you do the demonstrations in the right
order, you can induce the audience to
plead at each step to make the ring go
higher.
In an alternate version of the
demonstration, place a capacitor of such a value as to make the circuit resonate at near 60
Hz (or 50 Hz in much of the world) in series with the coil. With careful tuning, you can
make the ring oscillate up and down on the iron core by the variation in the inductance
and corresponding current caused by the rings position [2].
You can use the same apparatus to illustrate the principle of the transformer by
connecting a small light bulb to a coil that you lower over the coil that propels the ring. If
you choose the coil and bulb appropriately, it will light without burning out, and you can
show that the iron core concentrates and extends the magnetic flux, showing why
transformers have iron cores to improve the coupling between their primary and
secondary windings.

DISCUSSION

The ring jumps into the air because of the current induced in it, which is in a
direction opposite to the direction of the current in the coil [316]. The opposing currents
repel one another. The magnitude of the induced current depends on the resistance of the
ring. Thus a good electrical conductor such as aluminum or copper is required.
Aluminum is preferred because of its smaller mass, which enables it to accelerate more
easily. The resistivity of aluminum and copper is about a factor a seven lower when they
are at the temperature of liquid nitrogen. The repulsion occurs because the conducting
ring tends to exclude the magnetic flux that the coil attempts to force through it (Lenzs
law). The ring does not attract to a permanent magnet, but rather the force results from
the current induced in the ring by the changing magnetic field of the coil. If the ring were
purely resistive, the current flowing in it would be 90 out of phase with the magnetic
field, and there would be no net force on the ring. Because the ring has inductive
reactance, which dominates the resistance especially when the ring is cold, the current is
closer to 180 out of phase with the magnetic field, producing a net force. If the ring has a
gap in it, there will be no force on it because there is no path for the current to flow.

218

5.3 Jumping Ring

HAZARDS

The voltages are potentially lethal,

and there is a dangerous high-voltage
transient when the switch opens. The ring
jumps with considerable force, and so you
should keep the area above it clear. Do not
do the demonstration beneath overhead
lights that could shatter. Since liquid
nitrogen can cause frostbite, handle the
ring with tongs during that demonstration,
and wear safety glasses. With practice, you
can usually catch the ring with the tongs to
the audiences delight.

REFERENCES

1. E. R. Laithwaite, Propulsion without Wheels, Hart: New York (1968).

2. L. Strong, Scientific American 205, 143 (Aug 1961).
3. R. M. Sutton, Ed., Demonstration Experiments in Physics, McGraw-Hill: New York
(1938).
4. H. E. White and H. Weltin, Am. J. Phys. 31, 925 (1963).
5. E. J. Churchill and J. D. Noble, Am. J. Phys. 39, 285 (1971).
6. D. J. Sumner and A. K. Thakkar, Phys. Educ. 7, 238 (1972).
7. G. D. Freier and F. J. Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook, AAPT: College Park,
MD (1972).
8. W. R. Towler and J. W. Beams, Am. J. Phys. 44, 478 (1976).
9. A. R. Quinton, Phys. Teach. 17, 40 (1979).
10. S. Y. Mak and K. Young, Am. J. Phys. 54, 808 (1986).
11. W. M. Saslow, Am. J. Phys. 55, 986 (1987).
12. N. Thompson, Thinking Like a Physicist, Adam Hilger: New York (1990).
13. J. C. West and B. V. Jayawat, IEEE Proceedings 33, 292 (1990).
14. T. D. Rossing and J. R. Hull, Phys. Teach. 29, 552 (1991).
15. R. V. Mancuso, Phys. Teach. 30, 196 (1992).
16. J. Hall, Phys. Teach. 35, 80 (1997).

209

Safety Considerations with Magnetism1

Although most public concern about electromagnetic fields has concentrated on powerline frequencies (5060 Hz) [1, 2], radio frequencies (MHz) [3], and microwaves (GHz)
[4], claims have been made that static magnetic fields can cause cancer or genetic
damage. There is very little theoretical reason to suspect that such fields might cause
cancer or any other human health problems, and there is very little laboratory or
epidemiological evidence for a connection between static magnetic fields and human
health (negative or positive) [58]. Nevertheless, several organizations have developed
guidelines limiting continuous human exposure to 2000 gauss and maximum exposure to
20 000 gauss, and to a lower level of five gauss for people with pacemakers or prosthetic
devices. Humans routinely experience the Earths magnetic field of a fraction of a gauss
and commonly encounter fields of about two gauss on electric trains. A typical magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) scan subjects the patient to about 15 000 gauss.
The more serious danger is the large force than can exist between two magnets or
between a powerful magnet and a ferromagnetic object, which can cause injury by
pinching the skin or from shrapnel if the magnet shatters. Wear gloves and safety glasses
when working with large rare-earth magnets.

REFERENCES

1. D. Hafemeister, Ed., Biological Effects of Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields,

AAPT: College Park, MD (1998).
2. H. Takebe, T. Shinga, M. Kato, and E. Masada, Biological Effects from Exposure to
Power-Line Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, IOS Press: Burke, VA (2000).
3. R. F. Cleveland and J. L. Ulcek, Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and
Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Magnetic Fields, Office of Engineering and
Technology, Federal Communications Commission: Washington (1999).
4. J. R. Goldsmith, Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health 1, 47 (1995).
5. J. E. Moulder and K. R. Foster, Proc. Soc. Exp. Med. Biol. 209, 309 (1995).
6. J. E. Moulder, IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. 15, 31 (Jul/Aug 1996).
7. K. R. Foster, L. S. Erdreich, and J. E. Moulder, Proc. IEEE 85, 733 (1997).
8. J. E. Moulder, Crit. Rev. Biomed. Engineering 26, 1 (1998).

These results and precautions are excerpted mostly from the FAQ of Dr. John E. Moulder and the Medical
College of Wisconsin at http://www.rareearth.org/magnets_health.htm.