Talk:Magnet

Request for a minor addition, 21 October 2011

In the (protected) "Magnet" article I wish to make a small addition.

From:

Toys: Given their ability to counteract the force of gravity at close range, magnets are often employed in children's toys, such as the Magnet Space Wheel and Levitron, to amusing effect.

To:

Toys: Given their ability to counteract the force of gravity at close range, magnets are often employed in children's toys, such as the Magnet Space Wheel, Magnetic Tower of Hanoi, and Levitron, to amusing effect.

Thanks

Uri-Levy (talk) 05:54, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

According to the article, the tower does not actually employ magnets - it's just an analogue to magnetism. RockMagnetist (talk) 15:23, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

A specific MToH embodiment DOES employ magnets (see picture in the article withe the caption "An illustration of the analogy to magnetism: Disks repel each other if their touching sides have the same color"). Magnetic disks make, I think, an exciting playing effect ("announcing" illegal moves). And if you spin a "hanging" disk, it will rotate quite long (tens of seconds depending on its size of course), around the post. A rather uncommon scene.

(See a short video-clip - http://www.youtube.com/user/uri10levy#p/a/u/2/nUoHHeaJ4eI )

Uri-Levy (talk) 05:30, 22 October 2011 (UTC)

Magnets, how do they work?

I'm not sure how they work. I tried reading the article but i don't understand anything at all. Can someone please explain to me how they work?!?! I have this thing for school but i dont even know how magnets work. I asked someone but they said cant tell if just stupid or trolling but i dont know what that means please help. this website said something about it but i dont understand pleeeez help

http://media3.teenormous.com/items/ih1.redbubble.net/work.6465080.1.fc-550x550-white.v3.jpg — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.181.97.220 (talk) 05:53, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

Magnets work because of magnetism. (Ha ha.) Maybe this will help? Video: The physicist Richard Feynman answers the question, Why do bar magnets attract or repel each other? (from the "External links" section) Good luck! :-) --Steve (talk) 06:33, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

The "Microscopic origin of magnetism" section of our article is the real explanation, and the first sentence of it is fairly straightforward at the level of most school science classes I've worked with. If you "have this thing for school", do you have a textbook or other reference you were instructed to use? Sometimes it's easier to explain the explanation you have (especially so we can see what level you are studying and might need to know) or to know where an existing explanation is confusing than to try to answer without knowing your background. DMacks (talk) 06:39, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

Here is a piece of wisdom for you:

MAGNET, n. Something acted upon by magnetism.
MAGNETISM, n. Something acting upon a magnet. The two definitions immediately foregoing are condensed from the works of one thousand eminent scientists, who have illuminated the subject with a great white light, to the inexpressible advancement of human knowledge.

—Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

RockMagnetist (talk) 03:36, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Feynman's discussion is great!! And can't find "Microscopic origin of magnetism". But What we have is a discussion of the microscopic forces holding things together and aligning them. Then there are discussions about the existence of randomly oriented domains or small volume parts of a magnet, and then what is lacking is an admission as to the existence of a spacial substance that is capable of extending these internally generated forces into a larger volume of space than that of the magnet. And so to explain this factual occurrence we resort to mathematics to generate a concept and rationalize the distance requirements appropriately.WFPM (talk) 17:48, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

There's a pretty good explanation in Ferromagnetism, although it may be at a more technical level than you're looking for, 67.181.97.220 --Chetvorno^TALK 12:24, 16 February 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! By technical I think you mean mathematical Because I think Geometry better than I think Mathematics. And when the field of my pendulum magnet bumps against the opposing field under the bottom of the pendulum path and causes it to rebound I wonder what is in that separation space that causes the repulsion impact. I can even feel and hear the click of the repulsion impact! And at that instant in time we have a force acting on my pendulum magnetic and I wonder what entity is causing it. So I read about the internal forces within the magnet and not about how they extend out into space, except that they dissipate into the spacial volume but what are they? Certainly not lines! Maybe we need to revive the vortex concept.WFPM (talk) 05:55, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Lack of references

There are entire top-level sections without a single citation. This may be the biggest factor preventing this article from meriting a GA rating. RockMagnetist (talk) 19:34, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

There is no defination for magnetism . Magnet re used in our daily life . If magnets were not there we would not be able to see television. Magnets guide electrons to the screen . In olden times there were many theory about magnetism . Some say magnets were first found ,When a boy was walking with a metal rod in his hand suddenly it got stuck with a stone then it was named a magnet ,it was named a lodestone .It was found in Magnesia which was in Greek .It was found 2500 years ago . In that time it was mostly found in Greek,China and India . Today magnets are used in our daily life from television to Medical uses . (Hamza52 (talk) 13:27, 31 July 2011 (UTC)).

Is this a new comment or a reply to someone else's?RockMagnetist (talk) 01:07, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

I realized that, with so few citations, this article doesn't even meet the first criterion for a B article: "The article is suitably referenced, with inline citations where necessary." I added several references after I started this section, but it was hard to find them for all the technological applications. It would really help if the people who put the content there provided the references. RockMagnetist (talk) 04:04, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

Enviromental impact of making magnets

Since magnets are so often used in green energy production and energy conservation I am wondering about the environmental cost of making them.

This is a link I have been shown: [1]

Is it relevant and truthful? Does it belong in criticism section? Stutek (talk) 08:22, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

While I don't think a "criticism" of magnets section is appropriate, information on manufacturing would be interesting. From a quick skim of that article, it looks like they focus on processing neodymium. What does that page have about manufacturing? (I'm on a train with spotty wifi). —Ben FrantzDale (talk) 11:34, 13 September 2011 (UTC)

there is already section about costs, so expanding it to include environmental cost would be very informative IMHO. Stutek (talk) 06:35, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

magnetic shielding

is there any way we can shield magnetic effect from attracting other ferrous metal around it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Muddasir shaikh (talk • contribs) 13:21, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

See Electromagnetic shielding#Magnetic shielding, and Mu-metal. --Chetvorno^TALK 21:52, 9 February 2012 (UTC)