Fig. 2.

Equilibrium orientations of nonspherical objects in MagLev. (A and B) A Nylon screw orients differently when the length of the shaft was reduced from 9.5 to 2.5 mm. (C–F) Plots of the orientation of the objects (angle α) versus their aspect ratios A_R = T/l (schematic). Each data point is an average of seven replicate objects. The error bars represent the SD. The x-error bars are smaller than the data point. The dashed vertical line is the value of the critical aspect ratio A_R^*, predicted by theory. (Insets) Representative images of objects levitating in the MagLev device in each plot. The black arrow indicates the direction of $\overrightarrow{p}$. The cross in the background is for reference, and the horizontal line in the cross measured 30 mm.