Abstract :
[en] Editor's Note: Have you heard about tractor magnets? Certain fixed arrangements of three cylindrical magnets on a tabletop surface result in a stable equilibrium for a fourth follower magnet. In this article you will find the theoretical basis for this curious stability, a thorough experimental analysis of the stability of different possible magnet arrangements, and supplementary videos and 3D printing plans so you and your students can create and study your own tractor magnets.
Funding text :
The author thanks the National Research Fund of Luxembourg for financial support (AFR Grant No. 15639149). The author thanks Professor Andreas Michels, Professor Hamid Kachkachi, Dr. Venus Rai, and Dr. Ivan Titov for fruitful discussions and the critical reading of the manuscript.
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