Magnets and beyond
CCC-261 (Spring 2026)
Dr. Sucheta Mondal
Dept. of Physics
[Link]@[Link]
Lecture 2
14/01/2026
Why on earth is there magnetism?
(Magnetism on Earth)
Gilbert’s book-17th Century
‘Pretenders to science’
Image courtesy: Internet
Gilbert had a ancestor: Petrus Peregrinus
Possibly, a needle orients itself
towards the celestial source Concept of pole Conjunction of poles
Freely rotated compass needle and perpetual motion machine: much ahead of his time!
13th Century - France
Gilbert’s book
• Witch craft
• Curing pain
• Treasure hunting
• Needles point towards Ursa Major (Heaven)!
• Acknowledged: use of an iron tablet to cure a pale women’s disease
‘Pretenders to science’
Image courtesy: Internet
Gilbert’s experiments
Magnetized iron rod, demagnetizing magnets Shape of lodestone
Fossilized tree resin – ‘etekron’ (Greek)
‘Weapon of choice’ Amber-like – ‘electricus’ - ‘Electricity’
Image courtesy: Internet
Gilbert’s giant ‘Terrella’
Gilbert’s obsession with Iron!
Sun Moon Mars
Image courtesy: Internet
Next lecture
Why on earth is there magnetism?
• Magnetism in space
• Fun experiments with magnet
Magnets and beyond
CCC-261 (Spring 2026)
Dr. Sucheta Mondal
Dept. of Physics
[Link]@[Link]
Lecture 2
14/01/2026
Why on earth is there magnetism?
(Magnetism on Earth)
Gilbert’s book-17th Century
‘Pretenders to science’
Image courtesy: Internet
Earth’s magnetic field and its benefit
• 50 millionth of Tesla
• Navigation (not only human)
Bar-tailed Godwit Shark’s head movement
Remarkable journey!
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Earth’s magnetic field: origin and benefit
• 50 millionth of Tesla
• Navigation (not only human)
Magnetotactic bacteria Just like: bone, shells
Magnetite (Fe3O4) crystal Calcium crystal
‘Biomineralization’
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Earth’s magnetic field: origin and benefit
• 50 millionth of Tesla
• Navigation (not only human)
Homing Pigeon Drosophila
Beak: Magnetite (Fe3O4) crystal Cryptochrome (reaction in the presence of
Maghemite (Fe2O3) crystal weak magnetic field) helps in creating a sense
of magnetic imaging between eye and brain
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Earth’s magnetic field: origin and benefit
• 50 millionth of Tesla
• Navigation (not only human)
Bar-tailed Godwit
• Magnetite in the beak
• Cryptochrome in eye
• Weak chemical signals up its nostril
• Position of sun, stars
Remarkable journey!
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Earth’s magnetic field and its ‘declination’
Problem with navigation in the sea and corrections
Performance of the compass in the ship is affected by several iron based materials around,
lightening strike, dead reckoning method of navigation
Geomagnetic field Edmond Halley, 1701
• Compass in Africa is
shifting by a degree in
every 10 years.
• Magnitude of Earth’s field
is reduced by 10% in a
century
Halley’s chart
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Gauss and his theory on origin of magnetism
• Calculation and spatial
mapping of varying
magnetic field of the Earth
‘Terrella’ by Gilbert C F Gauss
• Gilbert’s theory of Earth
being a giant magnetic
lodestone is discarded.
• Earth itself is producing
the field: Magnetic
material is residing on the
Earth crust and the
temperature inside can
easily exceeds Curie
19th century temperature of the
materials, making them act
like paramagnets!
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Larmor and his theory
Thomas Cowling
‘Nickel-iron fluid’
Self-sustaining fluid dynamo
running in
Joseph Larmor Egg-chicken analogy
Convection cell
+
Coriolis force
20th Century
Source: internet, Magnetism VSI
Next lecture
Why on earth is there magnetism?
Magnetism in space