CSB #4: How Harry Potter's Broomstick Flies

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Definitions:

• Wizard: Someone who, with a magic wand, can perform magic. (female, witch)
•  Quidditch: The most popular sport in the wizarding world played on flying broomsticks
•  Hogwarts: The most famous wizarding boarding school in England

Summary

Revolving around the happenings at a boarding school for witches and wizards of the time, the famous Harry Potter series follows the title character’s many magical adventures as he tries to free the wizarding world from the evil of the darkest sorcerer of the era, Lord Voldemort. As the plot is set in a world run entirely by magic, there are many aspects of the book which remain unexplained by science. One of those things is Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world. Two teams compete against each other on flying broomsticks to score the most points and, consequently, win. There are many different explanations as to how the broomsticks manage to stay aloft, yet the matter still remains a mystery.

Discussion

In Roger Highfield’s book, “The Science of Harry Potter: how magic really works” there is an entire section of the book dedicated to how the broomsticks used in Quidditch fly. There is a mention of a toy called ‘Levitron,’ which is basically a top which spins in the air (held up by magnetic forces) when placed above a stationary magnet.

It may be possible that the broomsticks contain similar ‘spinning magnets’ inside them while hovering over a magnetically lined Quidditch pitch. However, since broomsticks can stay aloft anywhere, not just over the Quidditch pitch itself, this theory isn’t feasible, unless the whole world is aligned with magnets. It could be, however, that the spinning magnets react to the magnetic field of the earth, making it possible to fly anywhere on the planet. Also, “one of the Potter books contains a fleeting reference to how there is too much magic in the air around Hogwarts for electronics to work—a tantalizing hint that the school is bathed in an electromagnetic field powerful enough not only to disrupt sensitive microchips but also to lift a person into the sky.” Highfield may be right; however, a broomstick doesn’t fly better within the Hogwarts grounds than outside, so the spinning magnets in the broom may only be reacting to the earth’s magnetic field. Highfield discusses the downsides in his arguments by countering that “so strong a field would also exert an extraordinary tug on anything ferromagnetic, such as iron, cobalt and nickel, making its presence obvious and something of a nuisance to the inhabitants.” Therefore the magnetic force may not be from Hogwarts, but from within the earth itself.

The idea of spinning magnets inside the broom also makes sense when speaking of how brooms may vary in quality. The Firebolt, for instance, may have finer, bigger magnets which spin faster, allowing more speed and levitation and giving the rider greater control over the movement of the broomstick itself.

To summarize, a broomstick may be lined on the inside with spinning magnets to react with the earth’s magnetic field, giving it the ability to remain aloft.


Questions

• If broomsticks really do fly because the spinning magnets in the broom and the magnetic field of the earth repel each other, doesn't that mean that it would actually be ATTRACTED to the earth when the magnetic field switches?
• How would magnets explain how riders often describe their brooms to "turn at the lightest touch"?
• How would magnets explain how a broom jumps into a rider's hand when he/she says the word "Up"?

Citations

•  Highfield, Roger. The Science of Harry Potter: how magic works. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 

     Google Books. Web. 8 Jan. 2011. <http://books.google.com/ 
     books?id=U9XB5HNr0OAC&pg=PT17&lpg=PT17&dq=how+do+broomsticks+fly+science&source=b 
     l&ots=lf2QcOjjoh&sig=llvXrktScMilQzBxZc69tYRb19Q&hl=en&ei=zLYoTfzcCpS4sQP9jcngBw& 
     sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false>

•  Rowling, J.K. The Harry Potter Series. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.