The Levitron floating top has to be one of the coolest things we've seen. It is a small magnetic top that actually floats in the air. We didn't think this was possible at first, so we got one and tried it out.

You spin the top (there is an automatic top-spinner for some of us 'spin challenged' folk) on a lifter plate and raise it above the magnetic base. The magnetic base repels the top, while gravity pulls it downward. The spinning action keeps the Levitron floating top from flipping over (like a gyroscope), so it sits there, floating in space. Air friction will slow the top down eventually, but it's possible to get several minutes of levitation from just one spin. This is all done with permanent magnets - no batteries, no electricity.

Now the Levitron device is best described as an interactive puzzle - its tag line is "A challenge to master, a miracle to behold". The top comes with different weights that you can use for balancing. Basically, the magnetic base 'pushes' while gravity 'pulls' when you get the right amount of weight on the top (equilibrium) it will levitate - gracefully defying gravity as it surfs on magnetic waves.

Now the most interesting part: There is actually a physics theorem that says what this Levitron floating top does is not possible. Basically, a physicists named Samuel Earnshaw said you can't take one magnet and suspend it above another without it flipping over (magnetic attraction). The gyroscopic effect of the top keeps it from flipping over. I know there is a scientific explanation for this, but when you see the top just floating in mid-air, only one word comes to mind - magic!