Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:
Long one of natures most fascinating phenomena, magnetism was once the subject of many superstitions. Magnets were thought useful to thieves, effective as a love potion or as a cure for gout or spasms. They could remove sorcery from women and put demons to flight and even reconcile married couples. It was said that a lodestone pickled in the salt of sucking fish had the power to attract gold. Today, these beliefs have been put aside, but magnetism is no less remarkable for our modern understanding of it. In Hidden Attraction, Gerrit L. Verschuur, a noted astronomer and National Book Award nominee for The Invisible Universe, traces the history of our fascination with magnetism, from the first discovery of magnets in Greece, to state-of-the-art theories that see magnetism as a basic force in the universe. The book begins with the early debunking of superstitions by Peter Peregrinus (Pierre de Maricourt), whom Roger Bacon hailed as one of the worlds first experimental scientists (Perigrinus held that experience rather than argument is the basis of certainty in science). Verschuur discusses William Gilbert, who confronted the multitude of superstitions about lodestones in De Magnete, widely regarded as the first true work of modern science, in which Gilbert reported his greatest insight: that the earth itself was magnetic. We also meet Hans Christian Oersted, who demonstrated that an electric current could influence a magnet (Oersted did this for the first time during a public lecture) and Andre-Marie Ampere, who showed that a current actually produced magnetism. Verschuur also examines the pioneering experiments and theoretical breakthroughs of Faraday and Maxwell and Zeeman (who demonstrated the relationship between light and magnetism), and he includes many lively stories of discovery, such as the use of frogs by Galvani and Volta, and Hertzs accidental discovery of radio waves. Along the way, we learn many interesting scientific facts, perhaps the most remarkable of which is that lodestones are made by bacteria (a sediment organism known as GS-15 eats iron, converting ferric oxide to magnetite and, over billions of years, forming the magnetite layers in iron formations). Boasting many informative illustrations, this is an adventure of the mind, using the specific phenomenon of magnetism to show how we have moved from an era of superstitions to one in which the Theory of Everything looms on the horizon.

Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) by Gerrit L. Verschuur

From reader reviews:

Roger Ruelas:

The book Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) give you a sense of feeling enjoy for your spare time. You may use to make your capable a lot more increase. Book can being your best friend when you getting anxiety or having big problem using your subject. If you can make examining a book Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) for being your habit, you can get more advantages, like add your own personal capable, increase your knowledge about many or all subjects. You are able to know everything if you like wide open and read a guide Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism). Kinds of book are a lot of. It means that, science e-book or encyclopedia or other folks. So , how do you think about this reserve?

Arthur Pineda:

A lot of people always spent all their free time to vacation as well as go to the outside with them family or their friend. Are you aware? Many a lot of people spent they free time just watching TV, or even playing video games all day long. In order to try to find a new activity that is look different you can read the book. It is really fun for yourself. If you enjoy the book that you just read you can spent the entire day to reading a e-book. The book Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) it is extremely good to read. There are a lot of people that recommended this book. They were enjoying reading this book. Should you did not have enough space to deliver this book you can buy often the e-book. You can m0ore simply to read this book from the smart phone. The price is not to fund but this book has high quality.

Laura Grier:

This Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) is great guide for you because the content which is full of information for you who also always deal with world and have to make decision every minute. This specific book reveal it facts accurately using great organize word or we can claim no rambling sentences within it. So if you are read the item hurriedly you can have whole details in it. Doesn't mean it only offers you straight forward sentences but difficult core information with splendid delivering sentences. Having Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) in your hand like obtaining the world in your arm, details in it is not ridiculous one. We can say that no guide that offer you world with ten or fifteen moment right but this publication already do that. So , it is good reading book. Hi Mr. and Mrs. hectic do you still doubt that will?

Brian Rocha:

As we know that book is significant thing to add our knowledge for everything. By a e-book we can know everything you want. A book is a group of written, printed, illustrated or even blank sheet. Every year seemed to be exactly added. This guide Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Mystery and History of Magnetism) was filled concerning science. Spend your spare time to add your knowledge about your research competence. Some people has diverse feel when they reading any book. If you know how big benefit of a book, you can experience enjoy to read a e-book. In the modern era like currently, many ways to get book which you wanted.