The unusual magnetic properties of superconductors could lead to a new generation of powerful electromagnets that could make practical such experimental devices as medical scanners, levitating high-speed trains, giant particle accelerators, and even fusion energy.

Over the years, however, other properties of superconductors came to light. One of the most important, discovered in 1933, was that when a superconductor is placed in a magnetic field, it would not allow any of the magnetic flux to pass through it, but it will repel or be repelled by the flux. This phenomenon, called the Meissner effect, is the cause of levitation, as demonstrated in the high school experiment. Its discovery led to renewed efforts in the search for higher-temperature superconductors.