Learning about magnetism can be both interesting and rewarding if you try to do it yourself in your apartment. With just a few things at hand, you can become familiar with this phenomenon in a new light and discover many secrets of electromagnetic forces that control the Universe. So why not give this topic a shot right now?
Understanding Magnetism Basics
Magnetism is a well-known phenomenon that was discovered thousands of years ago when people learned that some rocks attracted others and repelled some objects. Nowadays, we know what causes magnetism and how to exploit this property for various purposes. In its essence, magnetism is a phenomenon observed during the flow of electricity through the conductor. Thus, this process gives rise to the magnetic field, and it interacts with other similar fields and attracts or repels specific objects.
Understanding Magnetism: A Brief History
It is known that magnetism became one of the first discovered phenomena studied for centuries. In particular, the first significant discovery associated with this subject is connected to William Gilbert who described magnetic fields for the first time. Since then, scientists managed to discover more secrets of this phenomenon and came up with new hypotheses related to its properties. Thus, the present level of knowledge about this issue is quite high, and we keep searching for possible applications in various fields such as medical care, transportation, and so forth.
Understanding Magnetism Essentials
In order to have a better idea about this phenomenon and discover some of its peculiar features, you need to get familiar with its basic concepts. First, it should be stressed that magnetism is the result of the interaction of charges within their motion. Besides, the magnetic field itself can be created due to such processes, and there are many opportunities to exploit them. As a rule, the following elements of the phenomenon are of great importance:
• Electric charges;
• Magnetic field;
• Various objects.
Home Magnetism Kit
In case you want to discover the secrets of magnetism yourself, you may try creating a special kit. It will allow discovering the basics of this phenomenon and understanding its main properties. Some of the items you may need to have for this purpose are as follows:
• Magnetized objects (e.g., lodestones, horseshoes);
• Objects that are not magnetized (paper clips, iron filings);
• Electromagnets (made out of wires and batteries);
• Magnetic fields (produced with a help of a neodymium magnet).
Experiencing the Properties of Magnetism
When having everything necessary for experiments with magnetism, you may go ahead with their performance. During this stage, you are expected to investigate and analyze this phenomenon and discover its numerous properties such as:
• Magnetic polarity (the orientation of the magnetic field);
• Magnetic strength (the intensity of this field);
• Magnetic attraction (interaction of opposite poles);
• Magnetic repulsion (reaction of magnets having the same polarity).
Developing Your Own Experiments with Magnetism
As has been mentioned before, the experiments with magnetism may be conducted in any setting. All you need for this purpose is a handful of specific items that may be used to explore this phenomenon and reveal more of its secrets. Thus, you may consider performing the following activities:
• Create magnetic slime using water, glue, and iron filings;
• Try magnetic levitation using magnets of different types;
• Investigate the principle of electromagnetic induction.
Practical Uses of Magnetism
This phenomenon finds applications in various industries nowadays as it allows performing some amazing tricks and exploiting different properties of magnetism. Some of its primary spheres of application may be listed as follows:
• Medicine – MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
• Transportation – levitating trains;
• Energy production – generating electricity with the help of magnets.
Conclusion and Further Steps
All in all, studying magnetism at home can be an enjoyable and beneficial practice since you may find a lot of information about it on your own. Thus, if you are interested in physics and want to discover more secrets of our Universe, start with investigating magnetism.
