Magnetism constitutes one of the initial natural forces that humans ever found, however, it was only recently that the complete usage of magnetism has been realized and worked upon. Several gadgets and technologies have magnetism principles behind them, so much so that our univetse seems to be incomplete without them. For {instance|example], if you go for an ipod repair or an iphone repair then very certainly it is electromagnetism that moves these devises. Have a look at some of the intriguing facts and stories on magnetism that have been gathered through ancient times.
You may be thinking how magnets were really found. Legend has it that a shepherd called Magnes who used to exist some 4,000 years ago got his shoes stuck to a rock that comprised of nails that got pulled to a rock called magnetite. Without much knowledge of the subject at that time, it was believed that the rock had magical powers.
Archimedes, a scientist of ancient Greece, is believed to have attracted the nails out of rivals ships by a magnet which ended in the drowning of all the enemy ships. It was Archimedes who realized the importance of magnetism. Besides, magnets have been employed throughout ancient times for navigation reasons by sailors. They found that a fragment of magnet suspended by a thread will always align in the North-South direction. This is what led to the discovery of compasses. This is why magnetite was known as the leading stone because it helped in orientation.
Frequently, you will find that magnets are constructed of steel or iron. Whereas, powerful magnets can be manufactured by alloys of metals including iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, etc. In earlier times, hammering and heating a fragment of steel or iron in the north-south direction was used as a way to magnetize them. With this technique, the molecules have aligned themselves in the north-south direction. Magnets are not only stones seen on our earth, but all of earth itself acts as a magnet. Earth is a magnet that also contains the North and South Pole. When you keep a non-magnetic substance in a North to South direction, it results in magnetizing it. This occurs due to the availability of a magnetic field around the earth and the molecules obtain enough time to get aligned in the North-South direction.
The question is; what makes the earth to change into a magnet? It is believed that this magnetic force of the earth comes from a liquid in the center of the earth that makes the earth to turn in to a giant electromagnet. It’s mainly the stream of liquid metal that generates electrical current, and a magnetic field is created as a result of this current. Yet, the puzzling part is explaining the source of the magnetic field that initiated it all originally. There is a theory that the powerful magnetic field from the sun was the reason to start the process when earth was created. However, we can’t declare this for sure. Whatever way it began, it is really a wonder of nature.
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