The National MagLab is funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida.
These demonstrations about laws and tools associated with electricity and magnetism allow you to adjust variables at and to visualize invisible forces — which makes them almost better than the real thing.
Seeing is believing. In these animations, we show you what electricity and magnetism might look like if they weren't invisible.
Learn about electricity and magnetism — and have some fun while you're at it!
How do Maglev trains work? What are comets made of? How do bugs walk on water? This section demonstrates these and other concepts related to magnetism, electricity and other areas of science.
Whether you prefer your science short & sweet or long & detailed, we spell it out for you here in easy-to-understand language.
Read fun science stories told in comic strip style.
There is beauty and art in science. Gaze on these stories of discoveries that could be featured on museum walls instead of scientific journals.
Explore these surprising, unconventional and sometimes downright strange stories about high magnetic field research.
These special science graphics explain science stories in digestible steps and include optional detours for readers wanting more background to customize your reading journey.
Get to know these pioneers who went down in history for their groundbreaking work, including scientists behind common terms such as Amp, Celsius, Kelvin, hertz and tesla.
From the world's first compass to the magnetic force microscope and beyond, explore a variety of instruments, tools and machines throughout history.
Our timeline takes you through the highlights of electricity and magnetism and across the centuries.
Take a field trip to these high magnetic field landmarks around the globe.
Trace the two-centuries-old steps of the discoverer of electromagnetism.
Copenhagen is a very cool city. Home of great design, bike culture and hygge (kind of a Danish approach to living well that roughly translates to coziness), it's well worth the visit. As the former home of science legends Tycho Brahe, Hans Christian Ørsted and Niels Bohr, it's an especially attractive destination for geeks. 2020 marked the bicentennial of one of the greatest feats in science history, Ørsted's discovery of electromagnetism.
Ørsted's discovery not only led to a technological revolution, it eventually paved the way for the powerful electromagnets, housed at special magnet labs across the world, that enable new discoveries about materials, energy and life itself.
This virtual voyage allows you to follow Ørsted's footsteps through 19th century Copenhagen, where he worked as a pharmacist, discovered electromagnetism and aluminum, founded a technical college and lived with his large family for most of his long life. You can follow the tour on your laptop or desktop. You can also open the link using your tablet or phone as your time machine, either through a browser or with the free Google Earth app, which is pretty cool.
Bon voyage! Or should we say, Hav en god tur!
Follow the Tour
Story by Kristen Coyne, Gif by Stephen Bilenky
