Thread: A spinning magnet in vacuum

Hi all,

You know those spinningt magnets who can float on top of another magnet?
If not search youtube.

I was wondering, if you took a spnning magnet, but put it in a clean sucked vacuum, would it be able to spin for ever (or until the magnet runs out)?

If not, what other forces keep it from spinning if you have no friction from the ground/air.

Thanks already

As far as i know, they will stop spinning when the initial force to rotate has been converted to heat energy. Which two magnetic fields, that collide with one another, will provide in both magnets.

Say you could create perfectly shaped magnets where the magnetic fields never scrape, but are always in perfect balance with one another. Then a magnet can spin forever in a vacuum. However, i doubt this exists.

Its momentum will eventually stop and that will end the spinning. Even though there is no friction the spinning of the magnets can't continue on forever.

Originally Posted by cosmictraveler

Its momentum will eventually stop and that will end the spinning. Even though there is no friction the spinning of the magnets can't continue on forever.

momentum will not eventually stop. that is pre-Galileo type thinking. the magnet may stop spinning but it will be because of reasons more like what Zwolver stated above your post.