Thomson’s Jumping Ring Over a Long Coil

The classic jumping ring apparatus consists of a coil with an iron core that extends out of the coil. A copper or aluminum ring placed over the iron core jumps upward when AC power is applied to the coil. In this paper we will examine a modified design of the jumping ring apparatus, called the “long-coil design.” It allows the ring to jump upward or downward, depending on the starting position of the ring. These features shed significant light on the study of the force that causes the ring to jump.