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.
Humans discover the magnetic lodestone as well as the attracting properties of amber. Advanced societies, in particular the Chinese and the Europeans, exploit the properties of magnets in compasses, a tool that makes possible exploration of the seas, “new worlds” and the nature of Earth’s magnetic poles.
c. 600 BC
Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus noted that amber attracts feathers and other lightweight materials when rubbed, the first historical reference to static electricity. He also experimented with the lodestone, or magnetite, and observed that it can attract iron.
c. 100 BC
Lodestones are used in the divining boards of fortune tellers in China.
c. 50 BC
In his long poem De Rerum Natura (“On the Nature of Things”), Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius relates the physical theory of Greek philosopher Epicurus, including his attempt at an explanation for the activity of the lodestone.
1086
Chinese astronomer and mathematician Shen Kua reports the use of magnetic compasses for navigation in Meng ch'i pi t'an (“Dream Pool Essays”).
1180
Alexander Neckam, an English monk, provides the earliest European account of the use of magnetic compasses by mariners in his text De utensilibus (“On Instruments”).
1269
The French crusader Pierre de Maricourt, also known as Petrus Peregrinus, carries out simple experiments with magnets and writes his Epistola de magnete (“Letter on the magnet”), in which he discusses compasses, magnetic poles and the ability of strong magnets to reverse the polarity of weaker magnets.
1492
During his voyage westward from Spain, Christopher Columbus reportedly observes that the declination of the magnetic needle of his compass changes midway across the ocean from easterly to westerly.
1551
Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano recognizes that magnetism and the attraction of small objects to excited amber are distinct from one another.
1581
Robert Norman, a British compass maker, describes the inclination or dip of a magnetic needle in The Newe Attractive, having measured the angle with a device of his own invention called the dip circle.
1588
Italian geographer Livio Sanuto first notes the idea that the Earth has two magnetic poles.
