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The discovery of superconductivity

Mark Miodownik describes the discovery of superconductivity in solid mercury by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes in 1911. An animation is used to explain the cause of electrical resistance in metals and how, at low temperatures, electrons pair up and navigate between metal ions without experiencing resistance. In the years following Onnes' discovery, other metals were found to be superconductors at very low temperatures.

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3 minutes

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