Superconductor facts for kids
A superconductor is a special type of material that conducts electricity without resistance. That means that electrons (tiny particles with negative charge) can flow very easily through the material. This can be achieved only at very low temperatures. The critical temperature at which a material becomes superconducting varies from material to material. Most materials are not superconductors.
Another property of superconductors is the Flux Trapping Effect, which can cause a rare earth magnet to float above a cooled superconductor.
Images for kids
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A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor, cooled with liquid nitrogen. Persistent electric current flows on the surface of the superconductor, acting to exclude the magnetic field of the magnet (Faraday's law of induction). This current effectively forms an electromagnet that repels the magnet.
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Cross section of a preform superconductor rod from abandoned Texas Superconducting Super Collider (SSC).
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Behavior of heat capacity (cv, blue) and resistivity (ρ, green) at the superconducting phase transition
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Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (right), the discoverer of superconductivity. Paul Ehrenfest, Hendrik Lorentz, Niels Bohr stand to his left.
See also
In Spanish: Superconductividad para niños
