Experimental Analysis of Levitation Dynamics of Spheres in An Upward Air Stream: Insights into Drag Force and Turbulence

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental investigation into the levitation dynamics of spheres with varying weights in a vertical air stream generated by a hair dryer. The experiment aimed to analyze the effects of drag force, turbulence, and Bernoulli’s principle by measuring the levitation heights of five spheres with different masses. The findings indicate that heavier spheres exhibited greater stability and smaller deviations from theoretical predictions, while lighter spheres displayed larger fluctuations due to airflow turbulence, highlighting their increased sensitivity to turbulent forces. A key observation was the role of air pressure differences in maintaining levitation, particularly when the airflow direction was tilted. This demonstrates the stabilizing effect of low-pressure zones created by the high-speed air stream. The paper highlights the limitations of manual measurements and proposes improvements, such as using laser-based or electronic height measurements for greater precision. These results provide valuable insights into fluid dynamics and have practical implications for engineering applications, such as improving the aerodynamic stability of drones, levitating devices, and structures exposed to turbulent airflow, thereby contributing to advancements in aerodynamic design and fluid mechanic’s research.