What is a magnetic pole?
Magnetism is the invisible force that draws together some metals, such as iron and steel, or pushes them apart. This force is especially strong at each end of the magnet. These two powerful ends are called poles. One is called the north (north-seeking) pole, because if the magnet is suspended freely this pole swings around until it points north.
The other is called the south pole. If the opposite poles of two magnets meet, they will be drawn together. If the same poles meet, the magnets will push each other apart.
As shown in the picture above the earth's magnetic field is called the magnetosphere and extends far out into space. The lines in the picture show the pattern of Earth's magnetic force. Magnets and magnetic particles within the field line up along these lines.
Why is the earth behaves like a magnet?
As the Earth spins, the swirling of its iron core turns the core into a giant magnet. It is a little like the way a bicycle dynamo generates an electric current. Like smaller magnets, the Earth's magnet has two poles, a north, and south. It is because Earth is a magnet that magnets always point in the same direction if allowed to swivel freely.
What is a magnetic field?
The magnetic field is the area around the magnet in which its effects are felt. It gets gradually weaker further away from the magnet. The earth's magnetic field extends some 80,000 km out into space.
What is a Loadstone?
Thousands of years before people learned how to make steel magnets, they found that lumps of certain types of rock can attract or repel each other, ot bits of iron. These rocks are called lodestones. They contain iron oxide, which makes them naturally magnetic.
Who discovered magnets?
Magnets were not invented, they were found from a naturally occurring mineral called magnetite which can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. There is a popular story about a Greek shepherd named Magnes whose shoe nails stuck to a rock containing magnetite.
How does Earth’s Magnetic field protect us from Sun?
Earth’s magnetic field plays a very important role in our daily lives. Besides giving us heat and light, the Sun also sends out deadly gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet rays, as well as infrared and radio waves. Now here Earth’s magnetic field plays a very crucial role.
The magnetosphere is a region above the ionosphere, which extends to tens of thousands of kilometers into space, in this region the behavior of charged particles is strongly affected by the magnetic fields of Earth and the Sun. The magnetosphere deflects the dangerous rays of the sun, keeping us safe from any risk.
What is the fact behind the Northern Lights?
Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights in Alaska
The fact behind solar wind is that it is a stream of radioactive particles that constantly blows out from the sun at hundreds of kilometers per second. The earth is protected from the solar wind by its magnetic field, as mentioned above, but at the poles, the solar wind interacts with Earth’s atmosphere to create the Aurora Borealis or the famous Northern Lights.
Fastest Train in the World!
Shanghai Maglev train is considered to be the world's fastest running Train. Its operating speed is 267.8 meters per hour. Which is equivalent to 430 kilometers per hour. It runs on a Magnetic Levitation line. This locomotive has no wheels. Before you wonder how it manages to run without wheels here it is. The Magnetic Levitation refers to the floating of an object due to the magnetic field. Thus the Maglev train actually floats in the air while moving at such speed. The Electromagnetic pull offered by powerful magnets is responsible for this. It is the only commercially operated Maglev in the world.
Which is the most powerful magnet in the universe?
The most powerful magnet in the universe is actually a star called a magnetar. These are stars that have died off and had a supernova explosion. The magnetars are what is left over, and they are strong enough to destroy small planets if they get close enough. Luckily, there are only a dozen of these according to scientists, and they are far far far away from Earth.
The world's most powerful magnets:
Some of the most powerful magnets reside at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Florida State University(FSU). These two laboratories have magnets that can generate a powerful magnetic force that can reach up to 100 and 45 Tesla, respectively.
In March 2012, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory set a world record by achieving a 100.75-tesla magnetic pulse, about 2,000,000 times more powerful than the Earth's magnetic field.
