Professor Andrew Boothroyd from the University of Oxford presents an introduction to the fascinating world of superconductors and the many surprising phenomena they exhibit, from zero resistance to quantum levitation. Superconductors are metals with remarkable and unexpected properties at low temperatures which defied explanation for many decades. In this talk, illustrated with practical demonstrations, Professor Boothroyd recounts the long history of superconductivity and gives simple explanations for how superconductors work and what they are useful for.