A magnet attracts materials made of iron. This chapter covers how magnets were discovered, natural and artificial magnets, magnetic and non-magnetic substances, magnetic poles, finding directions with a magnet and a compass, the attraction and repulsion between poles, how magnets lose their properties and how to store them, the uses of magnets, and the Maglev (electromagnetic) train.
1. Discovery of Magnets
- The stick of a boy named Magnus got stuck on a rock. That was a magnetic rock.
- People found that the rock attracted not only the stick of Magnus but also all the materials made of iron. More rocks of this kind were found worldwide.
- These magnetic rocks were named 'Magnets', and the ore is called 'Magnetite' after the name of the boy Magnus.
- The name is also supposed to come from the name of the place Magnesia, where it was found.