George Bush. Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I have a question that google could not answer for me. i was wondering what exactly is magnetism. i dont mean about doing experiments with iron fillings to see the magnetic field. I mean, what causes magnetism? what makes the atoms in all magnetic materials move towards magnets? I am halfway through my first year doing my GCSE's and would really like to know this. please help me if you can. G.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Magnetism is how an electric field manifests itself in a moving frame of reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bush. Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 What does that mean exactly, in english please, remember im only 15 and am quite dumb! G.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Sorry, I thought you meant you were studying this. Magnetic fields are generated by moving electrical charges. Stationary charges have just electrical fields, but that interaction doesn't just go away when there's motion, it just looks a little different. At a fundamental level, they are actually the same interaction: electromagnetic. More on magnetic fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bush. Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the tree Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 A thing to remember is that any individual particle of say, iron, has a magnetic field but it's so tiny that no-one really cares. But when all the atoms are "pointing" in the same direction (this is a gross simplification) then it adds up to a magnetic field worth noticing. When the the atoms are arranged properly, this is called polarisation, you will probably have made a magnet like this in school by dragging an existing magnet across a pin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labfreek Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 NO IDEA!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now