The objective for this project was to iterate on the classic experiment demonstrating Lenz’s Law. Usually magnets would be dropped through a variety of tubes made from materials of varying conductity whereupon it could be observed that the more conductive materials drastically slow down the rate of descent of the magnet due to the induced eddy currents described by Lenz’s Law.
My intention was to make this phenomenon tangible by letting the observer directly manipulate the magnets instead of just dropping them. To accomplish this I mounted the tubes horizontally to eliminate the force of gravity from the equation and attached the magnets to wooden dowels.
Moreover I added load cells to measure the reactive forces and LED displays to directly show their magnitude.
To communicate the intended way to interact with the exhibit I chose a bright and saturated color for the handles and less attention-grabbing colors for the enclosure. The simple rounded design was chosen to give a friendly and approachable impression that wouldn’t distract from the experiment itself.
