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Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism
Long one of nature's 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 world's 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 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 Hertz's 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.
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 world's 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 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 Hertz's 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.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2022
I started reading the book with the expectation that this would be a typical science history book on a relatively rarely discussed topic. This turned out partly true and from reading I did get a better view of how this subfield of physics has evolved into its present state and how it had transformed our modern lives. The choice of topics is arranged in a logical order; the discovery tales are indeed the most representative ones as far as classical electromagnetism is concerned. More broadly, this book will also be of interest to readers interested in the early, burgeoning period of any experimental sciences.
On the other hand, I did not have a smooth reading experience. I found myself skipping quite a number of paragraphs between descriptions of facts, where the author discusses his own thoughts from the perspective of scientific philosophy. Personally I feel a higher proportion of historical facts would hold the book on firmer ground, and may serve readers who would like to indulge in the history of electromagnetism better.
On the other hand, I did not have a smooth reading experience. I found myself skipping quite a number of paragraphs between descriptions of facts, where the author discusses his own thoughts from the perspective of scientific philosophy. Personally I feel a higher proportion of historical facts would hold the book on firmer ground, and may serve readers who would like to indulge in the history of electromagnetism better.
July 30, 2019
A bit dated now, but still a fascinating overview of the evolution of research and knowledge about magnetism. The last chapters are not so great - I always get a bit wary when a scientist tries to play philosopher.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews