Magnetism has been known since ancient Greece as the ownership
of certain minerals such as magnetite (so named because it was discovered
in the Greek region called Magnesia) to attract pieces of iron. They are natural
magnets.It appears that it was the Chinese who first used magnets as compasses in the
twelfth century.Petrus Peregrinus (Pierre de Maricourt), a French crusader, in 1269 found that if
a needle is left freely on a spherical magnet, it is oriented along lines passing
through points located at opposite ends of the field. By analogy, states north and
south poles of the magnet, and found that the north pole andsouth pole attract, like poles repel it, and that the fragment a piece of magnetite,
magnetic poles are still appearing.Magnetite crystalsIn the s. XVI, William Gilbert (physician to Queen Elizabeth), artificial magnets
produced by rubbing pieces of iron and magnetite. He also suggested that the
operation of the compass was due to the magnetic properties of the Earth.There are some creatures that have magnets inside that work like compasses.
It is called magnetism. It seems that this phenomenon is the ability to orient migrating birds.Some bacteria naturally synthesize grains of magnetite (iron oxide, Fe3O4 formula)
with a single domain, which are aligned and give rise to microscopic compass,
allowing them to navigate.Found magnetite crystals inside the skull of the pigeon, connected to many nerves.
As a result, the pigeons know longitudinally oriented magnetic field, ie north-south
and east-west, as well as the latitude, ie according to the inclination of the field. Also
magnetic substances have been found in other organisms such as bees, monarch
butterflies, moles, turtles and even in human brain tissue.One of the many applications of magnetic fields are the magnetic stripes on credit
cards, phone ... They keep the information through the tiny magnetic domains. The
reader consists of a small coil which induces an electric current to the passage of
the card. So often damaged the card when it comes to intense magnetic fields.In ancient times the magnetite attributed many properties. Was supposed to cure
rheumatism and gout and allowed to speak with the gods. In the sixteenth century
Paracelsus tried to use magnetism to cure diseases, but accomplished nothing.
All its supposed successes were due to placebo effect. Even today we are also
trying to sell magnetic bracelets and other devices as a remedy for many ailments,
but there is no scientific evidence of its benefits