talkmagic.co.uk

For those of you who've done physics, specifically nuclear physics, you'll probably know about the Casimir effect. This is an attractive force that pulls two large metal plates together using quanta of energy that spontaneously pops into existence in the vacuum between them. It's a very odd, real and measurable, but short range effect, and something that's giving nanotechnologists a headache because it also acts to create friction in the devices they create. Now two UK-based clever-trousers have found a way of reversing the Casimir effect, thereby creating a small repulsive force on demand, as reported by New Scientist.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns? ... news_rss20

Cool or what?

Very cool, imagine the possibilities!

Interesting article there, many thanks Tomo

This stuff could put some magicians out of a job,

"Watch as the Card Rises from the pack into your hand"
"So my car levitates as well, whats your point"

I don't think it'll affect magic at all, at least not directly. The effect is far to small to be observed as a levitation (as the Casimir effect, with reflecting plates or not, works on a quantum scale), although it might be used to achieve frictionless surfaces and stuff like that. I'm sure it has potential and someone will one day design a gimmick that makes use of the technology. Maybe.

It'll make some good patter for normal levitation effects though...

Neyak wrote:I don't think it'll affect magic at all, at least not directly. The effect is far to small to be observed as a levitation (as the Casimir effect, with reflecting plates or not, works on a quantum scale), although it might be used to achieve frictionless surfaces and stuff like that. I'm sure it has potential and someone will one day design a gimmick that makes use of the technology. Maybe.

It'll make some good patter for normal levitation effects though...

The Daily Telegraph reports in their coverage that the Casimir effect explains how a gecko's foot clings to things.