Magnetism Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Magnetism?
Magnetism is one of the fundamental forces of nature and is a key component of modern technology. It is an invisible force that occurs naturally between magnets and materials that are attracted to magnets, like iron, nickel and cobalt. Magnetism has been known since ancient times and its uses have grown throughout the centuries to include a wide range of applications in industry, medicine, communication and transportation. The phenomenon of magnetism was first observed and studied by the ancient Greeks in 600 BC. They noticed that when two pieces of magnetite (an iron ore) were rubbed together they had an attractive force between them. This force was later explained by William Gilbert in 1600 as being due to their natural magnetic properties. He also discovered that certain materials could be made into magnets by stroking them with lodestones (pieces of naturally magnetized rock). Modern day uses for magnetism include electric motors, generators, transformers, loudspeakers and MRI scanners used in medical imaging. Magnets are also used extensively in electronics such as hard drives, credit cards and IT systems. In addition to this they can be used to store data on magnetic tape or discs which can then be read back by special computer hardware. Magnetism also has many practical applications in everyday life such as compasses for navigation; refrigerator door seals; magnetic locks; maglev trains; brakes for cars; industrial lifting cranes; particle accelerators for scientific research; magnetic therapy for pain relief or therapeutic purposes and even jewelry made from rare earth elements like neodymium or samarium-cobalt alloys with their strong magnetic fields. Overall magnetism is fascinating phenomena which continues to inspire scientists around the world today with its many different uses including those mentioned above.