Magnetic braking of magnets sliding along a sloped aluminum surface

[0c]

Regardless, once you get the effect, please look on sideways, and see if you see what I see: the magnets lift off the plate from the lower, leading edge, first.

And which end lifts off when the magnet is sliding up the aluminum (or copper)? And does it do it with the same or opposite polarity?

[Dave45]

  

[TinselKoala]

And which end lifts off when the magnet is sliding up the aluminum (or copper)? And does it do it with the same or opposite polarity?

Don't know but I think that would be a rather interesting experiment. I think it will still be the leading edge but it will be the opposite polarity that jumps off first.
I really dunno, though. It's perplexicating.

ETA someone at lunch today did a BOE calculation and figured that with a little magnet like I used, that small area contains a lot of flux lines  from the magnet but only about 4  lines from the Earth's field, so it's hard to see how the earth's field could be affecting this effect. But wouldn't it be interesting if the southerners got the opposite pole to jump off?

Sean, what's your latitude? If I may be so personal....

[BEP]

Regardless, once you get the effect, please look on sideways, and see if you see what I see: the magnets lift off the plate from the lower, leading edge, first.

Kinda like the magnet is hanging ten, isn't it.

The creation of the eddies must be leading with one pole and lagging with the other (go ahead - light the torches and grab the pitch forks).

Now ask yourself does a Foucault current create another Foucault current around it and another around it? Each the reverse of the previous? Since each field is supposed to be the exact amount of force as the source -of the source - of the source - etc. ??
Since the diameter is constantly increasing then the amplitude for each new 'wave' is lower. Much like dropping a pea in a bowl of water.
After all the 'laws' say a current is created that creates a like field when there is relative movement - or does it not?

And what polarity is the magnet being opposed by since N/S are horizontal and the magnet is traveling in a direction 90 deg. to the polar axis?

Then think about a magnet sliding with poles the same axis as the slide path. The third vector direction is determined by the polarity of the leading pole. Now do you wonder why the curve of the path is reversed between S leading or N leading? Simple Right Hand Rule. Right?

This is all fun - being all 'new' and everything. At least watching folks claim each 'new' discovery is fun 

Y'all should be able to come up with some interesting 'scientific method' experiments for such things.

[tournamentdan]

It's remarkable.
Now I have observed that it is actually the LOWER or leading edge that appears to lift off first and the magnet begins to tumble backwards at least when it first comes off.

The orientation that doesn't come off will lift off at the leading edge too but not as much so it's more stable.

I think this actually indicates that the pole that comes off, is stronger because it gives more levitation from the eddys.

We may be inventing the mag-lev train, or something like that.

With that being said maybe I was wrong in the other thread. Earlier I said the magnet fell because that pole was weaker, but since the mag starts to flip bottom to up I think it is because the one pole is to strong.
I believe that the eddy currents are the strongest at the bottom of the magnet(in the aluminum), so the repell would be strongest there to. The magnet gains speed and in turn creates eddy strong enough to push the bottom of the mag away which will make the magnetic flux weaker between the mag and aluminum. and by then it starts to tumble down.

EDIT:  I still say that a magnet with more surface area and the same strength that you are using will react normally.