The Secret to Perpetual Motion: How Magnets and Electricity Power the Spinning Top
I’m Ken Kuwako, your Science Trainer. Every Day is an Experiment!
Floating Top U-CAS(Amazon)
Have you ever encountered a mysterious top that, once set in motion, keeps spinning without anyone touching it? It seems like a magical item, but of course, there’s a scientific secret and mechanism at work. And hidden within that mechanism is the inseparable and fascinating relationship between “electricity” and “magnetism” that powers our modern lives. I recently discovered the ultimate gadget to thrill any science teacher: the “Perpetual Spinning Top!”
Perpetual Top amazon
This top was actually an item I had long admired and wanted. As a fan of the Earth Top and the Floating Top, this was a joyful discovery! I immediately tried it out, excited to see if I could use it in my classes.
Just a Light Spin, Yet It Never Stops!
When I spun it, I was once again impressed by its mesmerizing motion. Just a light flick with a finger, and the top gains momentum on its own, continuing to spin for minutes—no, probably until the battery runs dry! First, watch its mysterious action in the video below.
What do you think? Show this to students, and they are guaranteed to gasp, “What is that!?” and “Why!?” with shining eyes. And that “Why?” is the very entrance to science. This top hides a brilliant mechanism backed by the laws of physics.
And here’s the astonishing fact! It keeps spinning for several days.
The Secret is the Ultimate Tag Team: “Electricity” and “Magnetism”!
Why can this top keep spinning indefinitely? The secret is hidden inside the top and the base. The top is made of a magnet. The base, on the other hand, is built with a coil, a transistor, and a battery.
The heart of this mechanism is the phenomenon called “Electromagnetic Induction.” Discovered by the scientist Faraday in the 19th century, this is the mysterious process where “moving a magnet near a coil causes an electric current to flow in the coil.”
Let’s trace what happens with this top step-by-step. The magnetic top spins over the base’s coil. This rotation generates a tiny electric current in the coil via “Electromagnetic Induction.” The “transistor” then captures this small current. The transistor acts like an “electrical amplifier,” which uses the battery’s power to boost the tiny, generated current into a powerful electrical signal.
When this boosted electricity flows into the coil, the coil temporarily transforms into an electromagnet. This electromagnet applies a perfectly timed “kick” of force to the spinning top (magnet), assisting its rotation.
In short, a cycle of ①Spinning → ②Electricity is generated → ③Electricity is boosted → ④Gets a kick from the electromagnet → ①Spins even faster… is rapidly repeated inside the base. The top slowly loses energy due to air resistance and other factors, but because the battery constantly replenishes that lost energy, it gives the appearance of spinning forever!
Bringing the Joy of “Experiencing” Science to the Classroom!
As you can see, the excitement is amplified when you not only witness the mystery but also understand the scientific principles behind it. Tools that allow students to “experience” the fun of science leave a lasting impression and greatly foster intellectual curiosity. Of course, it’s also a great way to take a quick break or kill some time (lol). Using this top as a starting point, it’s fun to explore the world of other tops: “What about the Earth Top that doesn’t need a battery?” or “What about the Floating Top that hovers with just magnets?” The “Perpetual Spinning Top” is the perfect item for introducing a lesson or adding flair to a science event!
Perpetual Top amazon
Next, let’s try making a top float in the air with the Floating Top!
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