Just wondering about magnetism.....

[George Bush.]

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.

[swansont]

Magnetism is how an electric field manifests itself in a moving frame of reference.

[George Bush.]

What does that mean exactly, in english please, remember im only 15 and am quite dumb!

 

G.B.

[swansont]

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.

[George Bush.]

Thanks

[the tree]

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.

[labfreek]

NO IDEA!!!!