safer, better for theenvironment, more efficient, and much faster than any other form of mechanical transportation. Just imagine. A trip to New York from Florida on a conventional train would take a full day, ona maglev train would accomplish it in half the time. In time and money this could be the future intransportation.APPENDICESHere a just a few pictures of maglev trains and then a further explanation of maglevtrains and how they work.Principle of MaglevMaglev is a system in which the vehicle runs levitated from the guideway (corresponding to therail tracks of conventional railways) by using electromagnetic forces between superconductingmagnets on board the vehicle and coils on the ground. The following is a general explanation ofthe principle of Maglev.Principle of magnetic levitation The "8" figured levitation coils are installed on the sidewalls of the guideway. When the on-boardsuperconducting magnets pass at a high speed about several centimeters below the center of thesecoils, an electric current is induced within the coils, which then act as electromagnets temporarily.As a result, there are forces which push the superconducting magnet upwards and ones which pullthem upwards simultaneously, thereby levitating the Maglev vehicle. Principle of lateral guidance The levitation coils facing each other are connected under the guideway, constituting a loop. When a running Maglev vehicle, that is a superconducting magnet, displaces laterally, an electriccurrent is induced in the loop, resulting in a repulsive force acting on the levitation coils of theside near the car and an attractive force acting on the levitation coils of the side farther apart fromthe car. Thus, a running car is always located at the center of the guideway. Principle of propulsion A repulsive force and an attractive force induced between the magnets are used to propel ...
