Maglev trains were great idea. Instead of just using conventional motors for power they use magnets to levitate the train above the track and propel it forward. The maglev trains are just a good idea, than reality. These vehicles travel quietly, quickly and with less impact on environment than traditional trains. Today’s maglev trains use conventional electro-magnets. But, scientists and engineers found well-being super conducting electro-magnets that will make maglev trains even more efficient. In this slideshow, I used a train model to demonstrate some of the science behind a well-being super conducting technology. This model doesn’t show exactly how a real super conducting maglev train would work. The real train would use super conducting electro-magnets. Not the form of super conducting material we show. But, this model does those principles such as magnetic levitation, magnetic flux trapping, the Meissonier effect, plus it’s a lot of fun. This pock is made of Yttrium Barium Copper oxide (YBa2Cu3O7-x). It’s a type of super conductor. Super Conductors are very special materials with special properties under certain conditions. But, right now when we place the pock on the magnetic track, nothing special happens. It just sets there. The magnetic field of the magnetic track which is made of very strong neptunium iron boride magnets penetrates through the pock just as the magnetic field penetrates through anything else. To bring out this magnet’s magical properties we need to cool it down quite a bit. In fact, it won’t become super conducting until it reaches -1810C as pretty chilly. That’s called a super conductor’s critical temperature or its transition temperature. That’s the temperature at which the material goes from a normal conductor to a super conducting material. To lower its temperature we pour something extremely cold on it, Liquid Nitrogen. As Liquid Nitrogen is so cool it burns off like a gas. The smoke you see isn’t the gas now; it’s because of water condensation. Believe it or not, the nitrogen gas isn’t visible. Now we will place the cold pock on the magnetic track, it floats above it. This is called magnetic levitation and a curse because of something called Meissonier effect, which is one of the special properties of super conductors. This means, the super conducting pock expels the magnetic field that is coming from the track. So, it floats above the track. The super conductor was cooled outside the track’s magnetic field. Now, let’s see what happens when we cool the super conducting pock inside the magnetic field. First, let’s take a close look at the track itself. The track is actually made of 3 tracks in one. In the right side set the magnets are made north facing up. In the middle set, all have their south poles facing up. And in the last one the magnets all have north side up. As you can see that pattern of north, south and north fixes the levitating super conductor in place.