MAGNETISM - What would life be like in modern times without it? Give us the electricity that warms our homes, lights up our paths, cooks and does so much for us every day! We couldn't listen to great music on the radio, watch a TV show, or even pick up the phone and call a friend without magnetism.
This extraordinary power is associated with what the Chinese call "the stone which lacks iron". The seafarers called him Imam, which means “the cornerstone”. We call it magnet, a name derived from the mineral magnetite, which was abundant in Magnesia, a district of Asia Minor. Whatever the name, the pilot's mysterious power made him as precious as gold. The kings were fascinated by it. Seafarers navigate the oceans with the help of a small party. The pagans believed that the gods had sent the stone to guide them. But despite all the attention given to it, no one in ancient times could have foreseen the enormous potential of the force that we call magnetism.
Today it is easy to get a magnet. Although magnetite ore is not widely used, artificial magnets with high strength can be purchased cheaply. Many children enjoy playing with a few small magnets for hours. In fact, magnets are so abundant today that they often go unnoticed.
But what exactly is magnetism? How does this affect us? What is the source of your mysterious power? Let's take a closer look at this mighty servant of man.
The properties of magnetism
Some experiments with two magnets on top of each other will help us identify some basic factors of magnetism. Place a sheet of paper on the first magnet and spread a few sheets of paper (like a fingernail) on the paper. If you repeatedly touch the map with your finger, these files form a strange pattern. Note that all of the small pieces of iron are arranged in lines that seem to go from one end of the magnet to the other. Here, we only observe a small part of the magnetic field. These invisible lines of magnetic force completely surround the magnet in all directions. The areas at each end of the magnet where all of these lines converge are called the poles. Each magnet has two poles which cannot be separated from each other. If we cut our magnetic stick in half, the result wouldn't be two half magnets with a rod each. Instead, we would have two solid magnets, each with two poles, just like the original magnet.
After following the magnetic field and identifying the two poles of the magnet, we see another very interesting property of magnetism. Tie a strip of snow around the center of the magnet and hang it in the air. You will find that one end of the magnet rotates until it faces north. Move it away and it will still go north. The magnetic pole that faces north is called the north research pole and the south-facing pole is called the south research pole. This property of magnetism is the basis of the compass. But what causes this phenomenon?
To find out, we have to use the other magnet. On each magnet we mark the north-facing pole with an N and the south-facing pole with an S. Now take a magnet in each hand and move N to a magnet near the S. on the other. What happens? There seems to be an invisible force that connects them. However, rotate the position of one of the magnets, connect N or S, and the force now seems to pull them apart. This shows an immutable law of magnetism, namely that opposite poles always attract, while like poles always repel each other.
This is why one end of a magnet always turns north. The earth itself has a magnetic field, just like the magnetic stick. This field extends in space and converges at each pole of the earth. Therefore, the north pole of a magnet is always attracted to the "magnetic earth" of the north pole, while the south pole pushes it back.
Probably the best known characteristic of magnetism is its ability to attract metals. However, not all metals are attracted to a magnet. Brass, aluminum, gold, and silver are not attracted to a magnet, while iron, steel, nickel, cobalt, chromium, and other metals are attracted to varying degrees . Interestingly, the attraction of a magnet is the same at both poles. For example, an iron nail is pulled with the same force from each end of our magnetic stick.