Freezing magnets?

Question

I can only get a hold of basic magnets (the black type you find on a fridge), so I was wondering...
Isn't there a way to freeze a magnet like that (in the freezer, please don't say liquid nitrogen, i can't get enough) in order to fuse its polarity with another magnet?
What I want is a way to make it float without falling off or flipping over.

Answer 1

I think you are combining two things here. As far as I know, freezing a magnet has no effect on its magnetic field.

There is an effect in which you can suspend a superconducting disc over a magnet, and the magnet will repel the disc and cause it to levitate at some distance above the magnet. This is due to the superconductivity of the disc: any motion of the disc within the magnetic field causes current to flow through the disk (just like in the windings of a generator), and that current produces a counter magnetic field which repels the fixed magnet's magnetic field. Unfortunately, you need a superconducting disc for that and this means liquid nitrogen and some very exotic materials.

The good news is that there is a very similar effect called the "diamagnetic effect" or "diamagnetism" that can produce similar results in a room-temperature piece of graphite. This web page has more details:
http://www.wondermagnet.com/newmaglev.html

We bought a kit very similar to the one that company sells, and it was quite interesting. It is very touchy, you must adjust it just right to work but it can be done with a little practice.

There is also another effect which you might find useful -- that of a rotating magnetic filed inducing current in a disc, causing the disc to levitate:
http://www.lauralee.com/levitron.htm

These are really amazing to watch. It does take quite a bit of practice to get it to levitate at first, but once you have mastered it the thing works quite well.

Finally, there are electromagnetic (active) levitation devices:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/61da/

Answer 2

Only Liquid Nitrogen Can make magnets go way over the freezing point. and i believe thats what you want to happen. If you ever find an answer for this, the world could already make very cost efficient frictionless trains that can use the principle.