The aim of this paper is to propose an outline to demonstrate the phenomenon of superconductivity by means of a levitation experiment of a magnet, repelled by a sample of YBa2Cu3O7. The experiment is based on the evidence of the Meissner effect, a characteristic property of a superconducting material under the action of magnetic fields. This demonstration of the levitation phenomenon does not imply large expenditures. It helps to introduce contents of the contemporary physics that leads to update curriculum. The main physical concepts involved in the levitation of a magnet and the phenomenon of superconductivity are both discussed here. Finally, the appendix describes the procedures involved in the preparation and thermal treatment of a sample of the ceramic high critical temperature superconducting material YBa2Cu3O7 (Tc ~ 92 K).
Physics teaching; experimentation; magnetic levitation; superconductivity
