• Question: What are superconductors?

    Asked by 552tema27 to Jos, Pierre on 7 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by Bendozer, 522tema27.
    • Photo: Joshaniel Cooper

      Joshaniel Cooper answered on 7 Nov 2014:

      Superconductors are a little bit like normal electrical conductors (like copper), except they have absolutely no resistance. Because of this they do some weird things, like when you put a magnet near them they will repel the magnet. If you make the shape right then the magnet will appear to float a few centimeters above the superconductor. This is how some of the levitating trains in Japan work actually.

    • Photo: Pierre Lasorak

      Pierre Lasorak answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      Hello
      Like Joshaniel said superconductors/supraconductors are materials that are very very good in carrying current from one place to another. There is no resistance in it, so they never heat up and loose energy. There is another particularity of these materials, is that they operate in very very cold temperature (-200°C or so, maybe few tens more for the most recent). In fact if you try to use them at room temperature (20°C), you usually get the inverse of what you wanted, a good isolating material (= very bad to transport current!). So there is still a way before we find them in high tension lines and electrical cables!

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