Observing Magnetic Dampening
Magnetic damping can be observed easily due to the development of strong magnets made of neodymium and other rare earth metals. To observe magnetic damping with a minimum of materials and effort, use any length of copper tubing and a neodymium magnet with a smaller diameter than the tube. Ideally the neodymium magnet will have a diameter only slightly smaller than the tube to maximize the magnetic field. Hold the tube vertically and drop the magnet through it to see magnetic damping at work.
Dropping a chained line of these magnets through the copper tube shows magnetic damping, however connecting the magnets in a ring before dropping them shows minimal magnetic damping. This is due to the collapse of the magnetic field as the north and south poles of the chained magnet are connected.
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