Bismuth is an unusual element that we don't encounter much in everyday life. But this pretty, iridescent metal, found near the bottom of the periodic table, exhibits some extraordinary properties.

Like poles will repel, unlike poles attract. And, if you break a magnet in two, you have two magnets instead of isolated North and South “monopoles.” It was once thought that charged objects ...

The element bismuth can "float" between magnets due to magnetic levitation. What's the science behind this phenomenon? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.