In this activity, students watch video clips of IRL research scientist Dr Nick Strickland talking about superconductivity1 and the Meissner effect2 and then answer a series of questions and solve some simple electrical problems related to the content.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- describe the Meissner effect
- explain in simple terms how the Meissner effect comes about
- give meanings for the terms ‘electrical resistance3’, ‘electric current’, ‘voltage’ and ‘magnetic field4’
- state some of the uses the Meissner effect has been put to.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background notes
- instructions on what you need and what to do
- student worksheet.
Related content
Find out more about the work of the high-temperature superconductor research team based at IRL and the development of a superconductive ceramic5 material with commercial potential.
Related activity
Superconductivity – Bob Buckley interview: listen to a podcast of IRL superconductivity scientist Dr Bob Buckley talking about this work and then answer a series of graded questions related to the content.
- superconductivity: The ability of certain substances to conduct electric current with almost no resistance at very low temperatures.
- Meissner effect: When a superconductor is cooled below its critical temperature, it has the ability to expel an applied magnetic field. This effect can be demonstrated by levitating a small magnet above a suitably cooled superconductor.
- electrical resistance: For a given object, it is a measure of the opposition to the passage of electric current.
- magnetic field: The zone around a magnet in which a magnetic force can be detected.
- ceramic: An inorganic non-metal material that can be shaped and hardened by firing at high temperature to form a hard, strong and endurable body.
